5 Instant Reactions from Celtics' win vs. 76ers in the NBA Cup opener

Friday's Emirates NBA Cup opener between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers did not disappoint. It was an absolute rollercoaster of a game with Boston eventually escaping with a one-point victory, 109-108.

The First Quarter was the Celtics’ Magnum Opus

This game looked like it was going to be an absolute rout after its first 12 minutes. The Celtics, led by Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard, looked unstoppable. They defended, ran in transition, and converted easy buckets. This was probably the most fluid the offense has looked so far this season.

It was Euphoric stuff.

Brown and Pritchard were getting anything they wanted, combining to score 24 points on 11-14 from the field.

For these 12 minutes (plus about half the second quarter), fans got a glimpse of the potential Brown consistently talks about during his press conferences.

The Celtics might be at their best when Payton Pritchard runs pick-and-roll

I want to shine a bit more light on how excellent Pritchard was early in this game. This wasn’t just a case of “oh, he’s got the hot hand.” No, the Celtics were trusting Pritchard to initiate offense it and worked to a t.

The former Oregon star navigated screens and weaved his way through the Philadelphia defense to get himself to the half-circle inside the free-throw line, where he was money. He started this game 6-7 from two-point range and the 76ers had nothing for him.

Going forward, more of this should help the Celtics play closer to their potential. The controlled pressure creating good looks was an efficient form of offense.

Then it got worse

Boston’s lead grew all the way to 24 points, and then they completely forgot how to play basketball. The mid-second to mid-third quarter was reminiscent of last Friday’s second quarter in New York against the Knicks. Everything that could go wrong did.

76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe had himself a moment to get his team back into the game, scoring back-to-back buckets to reawaken the Philly crowd. From that point on, the Sixers had life. Kelly Oubre turned up his game on both ends of the floor, Joel Embiid finally made something of his minutes, and Andre Drummond, yes, Andre Drummond made a three-pointer.

After allowing Philly to tie the game midway through the third, Boston reestablished a seven-point lead heading into the fourth.

The final 12 minutes were just as much of a roller coaster as the first 36 were. Boston and Philly traded runs until Philly's final push came up just short.

Luka Garza might be a real rotation guy

For the third straight game, Luka Garza has been beyond solid in his minutes off the bench. Friday in Philly he finished with nine points and five rebounds on 4-5 shooting.

It sounds cliche but Garza plays hard. He consistently boxes out his man and makes an impact on the glass -- an area that’s been so volatile for this season’s Celtics team. Plus, through these past few outings, he’s shown real promise as a three-point shooter. If he’s able to knock down triples at a consisten rate, ti’ll make him all the more valuable to Boston’s rotation.

Hugo Gonzalez is willing to die on the floor

Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez continued to endear himself to the fanbase on Friday. He had a solid statline in his 14 minutes with five points and five rebounds. But, the absolute beating he took in this game is what people are going to remember.

He skidded across the blue-painted floor diving for a loose ball, went crashing into the stanchion trying to block a Quentin Grimes dunk attempt, and took a shot below the belt from Joel Embiid as Embiid embellished a shooting foul.

Hugo is a warrior.