Boston Celtics overcame two established Euroleague sides as they tipped-off their pre-season in winning fashion.
The Celtics started their European adventure in the fashion capital of Milan, where they comfortably beat EA7 Milano 124-91.
Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 18 points after coming off the bench in the first quarter. Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley both finished with 14 points apiece in victory.
The victory was made more impressive as it was the first competitive game that Boston had played in the pre-season, whereas Milano’s season has already begun with a loss in the Italian Supercup to Reggio Emilia followed by an opening day defeat in the domestic league to Dolomiti Trento.
“I think as a team we played really well, there were times we didn’t play so well especially at the start of the third quarter,” Thomas said. “But I think we should be really happy as it’s the first time we’ve played against another team.”
Alessandro Gentile paced Milano with 19 points.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR_ujM2JdBA
Boston followed their win in Milan with an impressive 111-96 win over the reigning Euroleague champions Real Madrid in the Spanish capital.
It was a dominant display from the 17-time NBA champions against the Liga Endesa holders, who boast four players from Spain’s victorious Eurobasket side.
Bradley was once again amongst the scorers with 17 points.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxvnkOEZQ-w
The next time the NBA takes its talents to the European continent will be in January, when the Orlando Magic face the Toronto Raptors in London for a regular season clash.
Photo: NBAE/Getty Images