An unconventional starting five got off to a great start
Four of Boston’s rotation players — Payton Pritchard, Robert Williams, Al Horford, and Jaylen Brown — sat out tonight for a myriad reasons. So, the Celtics rolled out a five-person unit of Dennis Schröder, Romeo Langford, Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams, and Jabari Parker. Meanwhile, the Heat played what is likely to be their Opening Night starters. As everyone surely expected, the Celtics began the game with a 17-7 spurt.
Schröder and Langford combined for 13 of those points on a combined 6-for-7 shooting.