With a 111:115 for the defending champions Boston Celtics suffered the Toronto Raptors on Sunday (local time) the second defeat in the third test game before the new season in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Viennese Jakob Pöltl knew how to impress with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The double-double came with two assists in 25:09 minutes of action.
The Canadians were already 34 points behind shortly after the break before they started to catch up in the final quarter.
“I think I’m ready,” said Pöltl in a press release from his press management on Monday. On Tuesday, Pöltl and colleagues have the chance for revenge. Then Boston is a guest on Lake Ontario.
The preparation will conclude with an away duel with the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, before the championship opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 23rd. Pöltl did not yet want to estimate exactly what the season has in store for the rejuvenated Raptors. “You can tell that we are still struggling a bit to get out of negative runs. That will come with more experience, but also with a little more discipline (…),” said the 28-year-old. He is one of the veterans in the team that still has to find itself.
Lots of failures
Numerous failures didn’t make the task any easier for coach Darko Rajakovic’s team. “It’s difficult to pick out rotations,” emphasized Pöltl. “On the one hand, this helps us because a lot of the younger players are already getting the chance to prove themselves. On the other hand, it is of course difficult for us if we get less playing time together with our usual line-ups. In general, our offense is not as well-rounded as you would imagine.” He sees himself as somewhat prepared. “I feel pretty good overall.”
