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Boston Celtics (0-0) at Memphis Grizzlies (0-1)
Wednesday, October 8,  2025
8:00 PM ET
PreSeason Game #1, Road Game #1
TV:  NBCSB, FDSN,  League Pass
Radio: Sirius XM, 98.5 Sports Hub, ESPN 92.9
Fed Ex Forum


Possible Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Payton Pritchard vs Ty Jerome

Shooting Guard
vs
Derrick White vs Kentavious Caldwell-Pope   

Small Forward
vs  
Sam Hauser vs Jaylen Wells

Power Forward
  vs 
Jaylen Brown vs Santi Aldama 

Center
vs
Neemias Queta vs Jock Landale 

Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Josh Minott
Wendell Moore, Jr
Kendall Brown
Ron Harper, Jr
Jalen Bridges
Chris Boucher
Xavier Tillman
Jordan Walsh
Hugo Gonzalez
Sam Hauser
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman

2-Way Players
RJ Luis, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla 

Grizzlies Reserves
Tyler Burton
Lawson Lovering
Scotty Pippen, Jr
Vince Williams
Braxton Key
Cedrick Coward
Cam Spencer
GG Jackson, Jr
John Konchar 
Jahmai Mashack

2 Way Players
Olivier Maxence-Prosper
Javon Small
PJ Hall

Injuries/Out
Jaren Jackson, Jr (toe) out
Zach Edey  (ankle) out
Brandon Clarke (knee)  out
Ja Morant (ankle) out

Head Coach
Tuomas Isalo

Game Notes
The Celtics begin their preseason slate with a game in Memphis against the Grizzlies.  They will play 1 more game on the road on 10/10 in Toronto and 2 more games at home on 10/15 vs Toronto and on 10/18 vs Philadelphia to close out the preseason.  This is the Grizzlies second preseason game.  They lost to the Pistons 128-112 on Monday. 

The Celtics team that we see take the court in this game will look much different from the one we saw in the semifinals in May.  Gone are Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Jrue Holiday. And, of course, Jayson Tatum will miss much of the season after tearing his Achilles in the series against the Knicks.   

The Celtics have added Anfernee Simons, Josh Minott, Chris Boucher, Luka Garza, and Hugo Gonzalez.  They lost experience and familiarity and it will not be easy to replace the leadership that Al Horford and Jrue Holiday brought to the team.  But they have added speed, athleticism, and youth.  The Celtics are saying that they plan to play faster and harder this season. 

There have been stories of war-like practices and Payton Pritchard emerged from one with a bloody gash on his neck so they are obviously playing hard in practice.  But, the true test will be when they take the floor against the Grizzlies.  Will they continue to play harder and faster when the opponent is an unfamiliar team? 

The Grizzlies lost Desmond Bane to Orlando and Jay Huff to Indiana.  They also lost Marvin Bagley III, Luke Kennard and Lamar Stevens.  They added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the Bane trade and signed Jock Landale.  They drafted Cedric Coward 11th, Javon Small 48th, and Jahmai Mashack 59th. 

The Celtics are mostly healthy entering the preseason with Jayson Tatum being the exception.  The Grizzlies have already been hit with injuries.  Ja Morant injured  his ankle in practice and is considered week to week.  Jaren Jackson, Jr is out after having surgery in July to help deal with turf toe.  Zach Edey is out after surgery to repair laxity in his ankle.  Finally, Brandon Clarker is out due to right ankle synovitis that required an arthroscopic procedure.   

I'm guessing that Joe starts Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta due to the fact that they have played together last season and will be familiar with each other and the system.  He may surprise everyone and start 5 new players because that would be a very Joe thing to do.  I've listed the Grizzlies starting lineup from Monday's game but that is just a guess because the preseason is all about experimenting with different lineups and players. 

Key Matchups
vs
Payton Pritchard vs Ty Jerome
There will be a battle in the preseason between Pritchard and Simons for the starting point guard.  I'm guessing that it goes to Pritchard and have him starting here.  With Ja Morant out for the Grizzlies, they started Ty Jerome on Monday and I'm guessing that he will start again.   He led the Grizzlies with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while shooting 55% from the field and 40% from 3. 

vs
Derrick White vs Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
The Celtics will lean heavily on Derrick White this season and I expect that he will be the starting shooting guard this season.  Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to start for the Grizzlies.  He averaged 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game for Orlando last season.  In Monday's game, he finished with 15 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 60% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. 

Honorable Mention
Neemias Queta vs Jock Landale
The starting center spot is wide open after the Celtics lost Porzingis, Horford and Kornet.  After his showing at Eurobasket, it is expected that Queta is the likely player to start at center, at least at first, until someone else beats him out for it.  Landale started on Monday and finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block while shooting 42.9% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc. 

Keys to the Game
Defense - Whether it is Summer League, Preseason, Regular Season, or Playoffs,  defense will always be the key to winning.  the Grizzlies allowed the Cavs to shoot 53.3% from the field and 35.9% from beyond the arc but they have a game under their belts and will try to improve on their defense in this game.  Reports out of training camp are that the Celtics are looking to emphasize defense this season and this will be their first chance to back up their talk with tough lock down defense. 

Rebound - As with defense, rebounding will always be a key to winning every game.  The Grizzlies were out-rebounded 55-38 on Monday.  The Celtics will need to rebound as a team with players crashing the boards from every position.  The Celtics can't score without the ball and rebounding is a great way to get the ball and to get extra possessions. 

Play Hard Every Minute - The Celtics have gone at each other hard in practice in camp so far but now is the time to put that effort into winning for real against a different opponent.  Playing harder than the opponent can often make the difference in a win or a loss.  Over the last 2 seasons, Celtics losses were often the result of the opponent playing harder than them, even though the Celtics had more talent.  After losing so much talent, the Celtics can make up for some of it with extra effort. 

X-Factors
Rust and Chemistry- This is the Celtics first preseason game with a lot of new faces.  Even with the same group, the first game always includes shaking off a lot of rust.  The Grizzlies have already played one game to get rid of some of the rust and develop some chemistry.  Hopefully the Celtics can quickly play through the rust and play together as a team right from the start. 

Preseason - The preseason is a time for the coaches to get a look at players who may or may not make the team, to experiment with lineups and different plays.  Wins and losses are not as important as learning things about the players and the team.  Regardless of whether the Celtics win or lose it will be great to see them on the court again!!