SALT LAKE CITY — Celtics coach Micah Shrewsberry acknowledged that just like so many basketball fans, he scrolls through Twitter, too. And after the Celtics’ summer league opener on Monday night he saw some of the critiques of first-round draft pick Guerschon Yabusele.
Shrewsberry thought some of the criticism of the 20-year-old Frenchman was unfair, so on Tuesday night, he hoped to shift the narrative.
“I wanted him to come out and make a little bit of a statement,’’ Shrewsberry said. “So we wanted to feature him, focus him, let him do some things, and he can show his game a little bit.
“He made big plays down the stretch for us, which is great. It was good for him.’’
Yabusele appeared much more comfortable and finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, leading Boston to an 89-82 win over the Jazz.
“Good teamwork,’’ Yabusele said. “Everybody played well.’’
James Young scored a team-high 17 points and Terry Rozier added 16 points and six rebounds for the shorthanded Celtics (2-0).
Forward Jordan Mickey was back in Boston receiving treatment on his left shoulder, rookie Jaylen Brown was on the bench with a hyperextended knee, and second-year guard R.J. Hunter sat out with a sore right wrist. But in the end it did not matter.
“Guys made big shots when they were called upon,’’ Shrewsberry said, “and it was good to see.’’
The Celtics led, 73-64 with 7:25 left in the fourth quarter, but the Jazz pushed back, as a 3-pointer by Dionte Christmas tied the score at 76 with 4:03 remaining. Utah went scoreless over the next three minutes, due in large part to the Celtics’ defense.
Boston led, 80-76, with just over a minute left when Young and Yabusele both blocked shots in one Utah possession that ended with a shot-clock violation. At the other end, Yabusele threw down a follow slam after Rozier missed a running layup, making it 82-76. The Celtics put the game away when Rozier drove through the lane and converted a circus shot and then penetrated and found Young for a 3-pointer, making it 87-80.
The Celtics face the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.
