The Celtics cruised to their first win of NBA Summer League on Monday night with a 88-74 win over the Lakers in Las Vegas. Neemias Queta led the way for Boston with a game-high 22 points and 8 rebounds for the Celtics in front of a load of Lakers fans at Thomas and Mack Arena. Drew Peterson also added 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range while JD Davison posted nine points and seven assists as Boston improved to 1-1 in Las Vegas. Dalton Knecht had a team-high 19 points for the Lakers.Boston led by as many as 22 points in the first half after outscoring the Lakers 31-17 in the second quarter. The Lakers trimmed the lead down to 10 points in the fourth quarter before the Celtics put the game away for good with some late baskets from Queta and Peterson.Jaylen Brown and co-owner Wyc Grousbeck watched the action from courtside as Boston’s defense stole the show much of the night. The Lakers shot just 36.4 percent from the field as a team and managed 74 points as the Celtics piled up six steals and nine blocks in the win. Boston will return to action on Wednesday afternoon when they face off against the Hornets.Here are four takeaways from the Celtics win on Monday night:s Jaden Springer gets the night off: The fourth-year guard stole the show in the Celtics Summer League opener with his passing and some timely 3-point makes. However, the Celtics gave him the night off against the Lakers, opening the door for some younger guys to get additional reps. Drew Peterson got the start in place of Springer while JD Davison was able to handle more ball handling duties while Springer watched from the bench in street clothes.Neemias Queta looks like the best Celtic in Las Vegas: The 25-year-old center probably doesn’t need the Summer League reps at this point and he showed why in this matchup. Queta bullied the Lakers on the glass with his size, piling up four offensive rebounds and also feasted on timely lobs from his teammates. Most importantly, he was a terrific rim protector with three blocks against an overmatched Lakers offense that lacked playmakers. It will be interesting to see whether the team gives him a couple of upcoming games off with his strong play but Boston’s brass certainly have to be happy with what they are ...
