Celtics Drop Preseason Opener 97-91 In Turkey
BOSTON (CBS) - The Boston Celtics looked a little rusty in their preseason opener in Turkey on Friday, falling to Fernerbahce Ulker 97-91.
Rajon Rondo led the way for the Celtics starters, dropping in 13 points and nine assists in 30 minutes, and Jeff Green looked solid in his return to the court, but Boston struggled mightily on both ends of the floor.
The Celtics turned the ball over 25 times and allowed 12 offensive rebounds in the loss.
Rookie Jared Sullinger and Green each scored 16 points for Boston, with Sullinger pulling down a team-high eight rebounds in the losing effort.
For Green, it was his first game since the 2011 playoffs, with the forward missing all of last season after undergoing heart surgery. He shot 7-for-10 in his 26 minutes on the floor, adding four rebounds.
Kevin Garnett played 15 minutes, scoring six points, with Paul Pierce putting up eight points in his 26 minutes on the floor on 3-for-7 shooting.
Newcomer Jason Terry hit each of his three three-pointers off the bench, adding 12 points in 20 minutes.
The Celtics will next play on Sunday, when they travel to Milan to take on EA7 Emporio Armani Milano.
