The Celtics finished off their regular season Summer League schedule with an undefeated 4-0 record after a dominant 100-80 victory over the 76ers on Saturday. Barring an unexpected result on Sunday, Boston will play in the Summer League championship game on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET.
Here are four takeaways from today’s win over the 76ers.
Carsen Edwards steps up with shorthanded backcourt: Boston was down two of their top guards for Saturday’s matchup with Payton Pritchard (team-excused absence) and Yam Madar (groin injury) sidelined for the matchup. In their absence, Edwards (16 points) picked up the slack offensively, playing his best game of Summer League thus far. The third-year guard scored nine points in the first quarter to help Boston jump out to a seven-point lead and made solid contributions in all facets of the game. He posted a team-high five assists, two steals and a pair of blocks, making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Edwards is on a guaranteed contract for next season but his roster spot for next year has been an open question mark, particularly after Boston created a logjam in their backcourt by adding Kris Dunn, Josh Richardson and Dennis Schroder this offseason. Edwards needed some positive showings this week to improve his stock and this outing was a step in that direction.
Sam Hauser continues his shooting hot streak: The undrafted rookie out of Virginia found his rhythm during Boston’s win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday night (game-high 21 points) and he picked up where he left off against the 76ers. The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter knocked down his first three shots of the game, including a pair of 3-point range to to score eight points in just 10 first half minutes. Coming off a 6-of-10 shooting night from 3-point range on Thursday, Hauser showed off yet again what made him Boston’s two-way contract target on draft night as he extended his sharpshooting to 8-of-12 from 3-point range over his past two games. He also added seven rebounds and a pair of assists in his 20 minutes.
Boston’s bigs stand out: Bruno Fernando was a late addition to the Celtics Summer League roster but he continues to be a force in the middle during Boston’s winning streak. His energy was on full display on both ends as he piled up nine points and 11 rebounds over just 16 minutes, attacking the glass hard (four offensive rebounds) and providing valuable screens for his teammates. Reserve center Zach Auguste also added a team-high 18 points and six rebounds while going 7-of-9 from the field off the bench. That scoring firepower off the bench helped the Celtics pull away with a 30-14 third quarter and seal the win.
Block party: Every single member of the Celtics shorthanded starting five had a block in the win, remaining a very stingy defensive effort by Boston. Bruno Fernando helped lead a stingy defensive effort by anchoring the middle with his energy while Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith and Juhann Begarin (two blocks) showed off some of their defensive versatility on the wing with a number of recovery blocks from the weak side and in transition. All in all, Boston finished with ten blocks in the win, keeping the previously undefeated Sixers to sub 35 percent shooting from the field.