The Boston Celtics defeated the rival Los Angeles Lakers 88-74 on Monday, a major comeback following a poor outcome in their opening Summer League game.

Considering that Boston won despite the absence of Jaden Springer, who had a great game in Saturday’s loss to the Miami Heat, the victory was quite impressive.

It was his teammates’ turn to step up in Springer’s absence, and they did. In what turned out to be a convincing victory over the Lakers, both returning veterans and newly signed rookies shone.

In Monday’s nightcap at the Thomas & Mack Center, these were the highlights.

Neemias Queta:

From the beginning of this one, Los Angeles had no response for the Portuguese big man. It was clear that Queta was the best player on the floor. He made excellent use of his size, was a fantastic offensive roll guy, and had excellent touch near the hoop. The former standout player for Utah State finished with a team-high 20 points on 7–10 shooting, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks.He had the same effect on the other end of the floor. Queta used his strength to make things difficult for anyone who chose to attack the paint for the purple and gold, in addition to blocking three attempts from the Lakers.

The 25-year-old told media that Al Horford has provided him with invaluable guidance on improving as a defender.

 

 

“Al has been incredibly helpful to me in terms of communicating all the things they want me to do as a big guy and being adaptable on defense,” the large man remarked.

He went on to say that he believes his performance and ongoing development would cause head coach Joe Mazzulla some trouble as he plans out his rotations for the upcoming campaign.

Drew Peterson:

The six-foot-nine wing had a great bounce-back game on Monday. Peterson finally found his stroke against the Heat, having missed his previous four long-range tries.In this one, there were four makes rather than four misses, including two in the fourth quarter. He maintained his composure in crucial situations, assisting the Cs in repeatedly stopping L.A.’s momentum.

Regarding his goals, he stated that “gaining size and becoming a knockdown shooter are the most important things.” “Then filling it with the rest of the things I can do on the floor — passing, rebounding, stuff like that.”

Peterson seized the opportunity to demonstrate further facets of his skill set. While JD Davison rested, Springer filled in as the team’s primary ballhandler for extended periods of time. In addition to his 12 points for the game, he also recorded three assists.

The former outstanding player for USC also struck the glass. He helped end strong defensive possessions by ripping down five rebounds.

Jordan Walsh:

Compared to his performance in the Summer League opening on Saturday, which he hopes he never has to think about again, Monday was much kinder to the Celtics draft pick from the previous season. Walsh maintained his composure and didn’t let the fact that his three-point shooting wasn’t quite as good as he had intended to effect the remainder of his game.

The young wing provided the defense, and his body language was much better. He took care of business when it came to guarding several scorers, including Lakers rookie pick Dalton Knecht. In the victory, Walsh even racked up defensive stats, including three thefts and a block.

Despite missing all one of his five long-range efforts, the former Arkansas forward found ways to score. Walsh looked at ease from within the arc and completed the game with nine points, regardless of whether he was cutting without the ball to generate looks at the basket or using his body to create space for a fadeaway.