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October 9, 2026 at 5:39 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Celtics Open Preseason With a 124-113 Win Over Cavaliers in Cleveland

Luka Garza had 22 points and 10 rebounds as a Boston group missing its biggest names beat Cleveland in Thursday's preseason opener.

Cavaliers game report image
Cavaliers game report image

The first look at both retooled rosters came Thursday night in Cleveland, and the Celtics got the better of it, 124-113, in a preseason opener that said more about depth than about October certainties. Luka Garza started and led Boston with 22 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes, the only double-double of the night. Five Celtics scored at least 15, with Devin Carter adding 17 off the bench and Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh 16 apiece.

Some of the names people came to check on never entered the picture. Jayson Tatum, back for 16 games last season after the Achilles tear and saying he feels better now, did not play. Neither did Paul George or Mitchell Robinson, so how George fits into the starting group and how Robinson's game grows beyond handoffs and pick-and-rolls will have to wait. Boston started Garza, Scheierman, Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez and Mike Conley, and Dillon Mitchell logged the most minutes at 28, with 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

The bench in Boston had a different look as well. Joe Mazzulla sat out the opener, with Tony Dobbins in charge in the first half and DJ MacLeay taking over after the break. Whatever it did for their development, the Celtics shot and scored well enough that nobody had to worry about the handoff. Cleveland's headline addition, Peyton Watson, started and finished with seven points, four rebounds and four assists in 17 minutes. His four-year, $88 million deal brings expectations on the perimeter and next to the stars, and one preseason night doesn't settle them.

Cleveland's starters were all limited to 17 minutes, which is how the Cavaliers' scoring came from everywhere. Jaylon Tyson had 14, Tristan Enaruna 13, and Donovan Mitchell and Meleek Thomas 11 each, while Craig Porter Jr. had 10 assists. The Celtics did all this without Jaylen Brown, a presence for a decade, and what they look like without him is still mostly a guess. One game against a Cavaliers team in the same unfinished state won't answer that, but Boston will take the 11-point win.

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