LAS VEGAS \u2014 The Celtics\u2019 unbeaten run at the NBA Summer League came to an end Monday with a 102-90 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at the Pavilion:<\/p>\n
Here are four takeaways from Boston\u2019s third game in Vegas:<\/p>\n
1. Gonzalez, Williams sit<\/p>\n
The Celtics rested two of their returning players, sitting Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams on the second day of a back-to-back. Both started the first two Summer League games.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez, who led all Celtics Summer Leaguers in minutes against Toronto and Charlotte, has played with his trademark energy in Las Vegas, but he\u2019s struggled to find a rhythm offensively. He\u2019s shooting 23.1% from the field (6-for-26) and 22.2% from 3-point range (4-for-18) in the tournament with 12 assists and eight turnovers.<\/p>\n
Williams starred in the opener against the Raptors (23 points on 7-of-9, 13 rebounds, two blocks) but registered nearly as many turnovers (five) as points (six) against the Hornets.<\/p>\n
Unlike most of the Summer C\u2019s, Gonzalez and Williams are on season-long contracts (the former\u2019s a standard NBA deal, the latter\u2019s a two-way). First-round rookie Chris Cenac Jr. is the only other signed player in the squad.<\/p>\n
Cenac and Tucker DeVries \u2014 an undrafted wing out of Indiana on an Exhibit-10 tryout contract \u2014 replaced the two second-year pros in the starting lineup.<\/p>\n
2. Tale of halves for Cenac<\/p>\n
The first half of this game was the worst stretch of Cenac\u2019s nascent Celtics career. The rookie big man struggled in his matchup with Hawks counterpart Henri Veesaar, was a step slow in his help defense rotations and had multiple shots blocked at the rim.<\/p>\n
The second half was a much stronger showing from the 19-year-old.<\/p>\n
Cenac played with more confidence at both ends. He scored eight straight Celtics points to open the third quarter, drawing a Veesaar foul on one possession and finishing a putback dunk on another. Later in the quarter, he blocked three shots, including two in a 10-second span. The second sprang Mitchell for a fast-break layup<\/p>\n
There still were hiccups \u2014 Cenac was whistled for an illegal screen and botched another dunk attempt \u2014 but the first-rounder did well to salvage what initially looked like an awful outing. He finished with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, four blocks and five turnovers in 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
Veesaar, a popular Celtics mock draft pick before he fell to Atlanta at No. 52, put up 20 points on 7-of-11.<\/p>\n
3. Tryout players quiet<\/p>\n
Boston entered Summer League with two open two-way slots and one opening on its 15-man roster. The top candidates to fill those vacancies saw plenty of playing time Monday, but all turned in unremarkable performances.<\/p>\n