NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates 
1. Overtime Thriller
It’s not common that I find myself on the edge of my seat and yelling at my TV over a preseason NBA game but I found myself in that exact position tonight watching the Boston Celtics defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 125-120 in overtime. In a game where the 76ers started all of their starters against the Celtics who ran out what could end up being their Maine Celtics lineup at some point this year, Boston overcame the adversity and took down the Goliath. Am I being a bit hyperbolic for a preseason game? Yes. But it was still an entertaining game to watch despite it not being a game that actually counts.
What did impress me the most out of the group the Celtics played tonight was the fact that no one seemed afraid of the moment. Even in a preseason game, there are a lot of guys in Boston’s starting lineup that are fighting for a roster spot with either the Celtics on a two-way deal or just a G League spot. Philadelphia’s starters had a combined 89,240 Career NBA Points to their name while Boston had a combined 6 points, all by Hayden Gray who played in one NBA game with the Utah Jazz last season.
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Everyone on the roster in this game looked to be aggressive and they didn’t care that NBA Champions and MVPs like LeBron James, Joel Embiid or Jaylen Brown were in the way. There was sloppy play at times from the Celtics but it was the hustle stats that told the story. Boston out-rebounded the Philadelphia 63-46, finished 16 more shot attempts, and forced 18 turnovers. There were times where Boston looked to be the better team with the 76ers starters on the floor and I think that is a huge testament to the culture of the Celtics.
2. Head Coach Sam Cassell
Similar to the first game of the preseason when assistant coaches Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay took the reigns from Joe Mazzulla, Sam Cassell made his Celtics head coaching debut for Boston in their matchup against the 76ers. Cassell was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers from 2020-2023 before joining the Celtics coaching staff in June of 2023. He was tied for 5th in the 2026-27 NBA GM Survey as the best assistant coach in the NBA…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/10-takeaways-celtics-overtime-victory-083206699.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-17 08:32:00
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