Kristaps Porzingis, Payton Pritchard shine as Celtics beat 76ers in preseason opener: 10 takeaways

4. To briefly rain on what was otherwise a perfectly reasonable evening, the Celtics do look like a team that could struggle on the glass, which was to be expected. Neither Porzingis nor Horford has ever been a particularly high-level rebounder, and the Celtics have a number of Derrick White-Holiday-Jaylen Brown looks that will leave them pretty small. Putting an end to possessions will need to be a point of emphasis moving forward.

5. Both Brown and Jayson Tatum started slow, and Tatum in particular struggled to find his range — 3-for-13 from the floor, 0-for-4 from three. In typical Tatum fashion, he did still fill out the box score with 10 rebounds and five assists.

Brown, meanwhile, broke out with nine of his 17 points in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer before the starters were removed that secured a win for the Celtics’ main unit.

Despite additional star power Brad Stevens added this offseason, most Celtics games this season will revolve around Tatum and Brown. Sunday’s game was a rare exception.

6. We can’t be sure exactly how all of Tatum’s new muscle will affect his offense (is he trying to be Giannis Antetokounmpo with a more advanced bag now? Will the bulk hurt his previously silky jumper? Can he average nine-plus free throws per game?), but two plays early in the second quarter were a positive sign.

The first was a post-up against Kelly Oubre Jr., who has often struggled against Tatum in the past but has no chance defensively against this new iteration. Tatum backed Oubre down aggressively, and multiple Sixers defenders meandered over to help. Pritchard floated to open space in Tatum’s field of vision and was rewarded with an open three for his awareness.

About a minute later, Tatum worked his way into the lane, missed two attempts close the rim, then grabbed a third opportunity and finished it off. The Celtics want him to play physically, and despite the shooting numbers, he was forceful on Sunday.

7. The Sixers have been very high on Maxey for years, and on Sunday, he looked more than ready to step up as the team’s second-best player behind Joel Embiid (who did not play). Maxey finished with 24 points in 29 minutes and displayed improved control over his considerable speed and pace.

Given how good Maxey looked (and, to a lesser extent, the positive contributions of players like Jaden Springer, who had several nice moments including a nasty block against Tatum), it’s hard to imagine the front office will allow the James Harden drama to continue much longer. The Sixers have quality players who look ready for bigger roles now and trading a distraction like Harden could be addition both by addition and subtraction.

8. Like most preseason openers, the fourth quarter was bereft of starters. It was, however, very dramatic and a lot of fun. The Celtics won the period 33-26 and finished it on a 17-5 run over the last 5:22 as Pritchard exploded.

But Pritchard wasn’t alone in his heroics. Dalano Banton hit a 3 and played hard. Oshae Brissett finished with seven points on 3-for-6 shooting, and both Brissett and Lamar Stevens both crushed put-back slams that brought the crowd to their feet. Stevens’ slam counted (and he was awarded a free throw), but Brissett was (correctly) whistled for a foul. Joe Mazzulla made a veteran decision to challenge the call on Brissett’s behalf, even though the call was unlikely to be overturned.

The Nov. 8 showdown between these two teams, of course, carries significantly more weight than a preseason opener sans Joel Embiid. But Sunday’s game crackled with the kind of energy that could send New England fans out into the night with a small smile despite anything else that may or may not have happened earlier in the day.

9. Filed under “it’s preseason even for the stars,” Brown appeared to come out for the first quarter with his shorts on backward.