Shorthanded Celtics Drop Their First Game In Las Vegas, To Jimmer & The Kings

Apparently, there are bigger things in the NBA than a summer league game in mid-July. Shocking, I know. Especially when the Boston Celtics are the only insane team to appear in both Orlando and Las Vegas this summer.

With the Courtney Lee deal going down before tip-off, the Celts were down three players as JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore and Sean Williams packed up and left for Houston (their new NBA home). With nine players, the C's (2-1) hung around for longer than expected (tied 38-38 at halftime) before losing 91-82 to the Kings (2-3) tonight at the Thomas and Mack Center.

In their final summer league contest, Jimmer Fredette led Sacramento with 19 points (9 for 10 on free throws) and five assists. Rookie Thomas Robinson was a beast on the boards with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Tony Mitchell scored 13 points, Yancy Gates had 11 points and Dominique Johnson added 10.

Speaking with the NBA TV commentators during the first half, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers admitted that Boston's brass loves Dionte Christmas (19 points) so it looks like he'll get an invite to their training camp in the fall. Jamar Smith and Craig Brackins both notched 14 points while Jonathan Gibson (another guy singled out by Rivers) had 12 points. Jared Sullinger grabbed 10 rebounds.

Boston has two games left in the summer: Saturday (10:30 p.m. vs. 2-1 Milwaukee) and Sunday (6:00 p.m. vs. 1-2 Clippers). Expect them to add a few healthy bodies since I doubt they can go through another 40 minutes with nine players. If Danny Ainge is reading this, I'm available and I'd love a business trip to Vegas.

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Different City But Same Team & Same Result

The Boston Celtics are staking their claim as the best team in the 2012 NBA Summer League. After going 4-1 in Orlando last week, they begin their stay in Las Vegas with a one-sided 87-69 blowout of the Atlanta Hawks this afternoon at Cox Pavilion.

The C's (1-0) led from start to finish and had five players score in double figures. Rookies Kris Joseph and Jared Sullinger (7 rebounds) helped Boston cruise to victory with 14 points while Dionte Christmas and Jonathan Gibson scored 11 and Jamar Smith had 10.

Rookie Fab Melo had his best game of the summer (which isn't saying much) with seven points and five rebounds and E'Twaun Moore added nine points.

Atlanta (1-2) fielded a team with basically no NBA experience so its no wonder they got walloped. Rookies Mike Scott (6 rebounds) and John Jenkins paced the Hawks with 12 points while Keith Benson put up 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Boston rolled since they shot 5.7% better from the field (41.8-36.1), hit seven more 3-pointers (9-2) and made seven more free throws (22-15).

The Celtics led 23-16 after one quarter and 49-31 at halftime. Boston were up by as many as 23 points as their chemistry forged last week in Orlando started to take over. The Hawks cut it to 10 in the third quarter but still trailed 67-52 heading into the fourth.

Boston plays Chicago (0-0) tomorrow night (10 p.m., NBA TV).

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You Can't Stop Jonathan Gibson, You Can Only Hope To Contain Him

The Celtics (2-0) staged a nice rally from 17 points down in the first half and 9 points in the fourth quarter as they beat the Nets (0-2) 82-73 tonight in the 2012 Orlando Summer League.

Guard Jonathan Gibson (New Mexico State) went off in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 17 points to help Boston take care of Brooklyn. He was 3-for-5 on 3-pointers overall and 4-for-4 from the field in the final frame. Most impressive, he did all his damage in only 14 minutes.

Three other Celtics scored in double-figures: E'Twaun Moore (15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), Kris Joseph (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Dionte Christmas (10 points). Jared Sullinger (8 points, 12 rebounds) didn't have quite the scoring output of Monday but he made up for it by owning the glass, including four offensive boards. JaJuan Johnson and Jamar Smith each scored eight points as well in the satisfying victory.

Al Thornton led the Nets with 16 points and eight rebounds, showing that his career could get back on track. Providence College alum MarShon Brooks added 13 points and four assists while former No. 3 pick in 2006 Adam Morrison had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) and rookie point guard Tyshawn Taylor put up 10 points but also seven turnovers.

Boston led 24-18 after one quarter but an extended drought in the second quarter gave Brooklyn a 45-31 advantage at halftime. The Celtics rolled 51-28 in the second half including 30-14 in the fourth quarter.

The C's hit five more 3-pointers (7-2) which made up for six less free throws made (23-17).

After playing in the final game of the day on Tuesday, Boston gets the first one on Wednesday. They'll meet Indiana (2-0), live at 11 a.m. on NBA TV.

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