The 2026 Celtics NBA Cup Preview

The NBA Cup tips off this Friday and the Celtics get their group play started with the second home game against the Chicago Bulls.

Boston’s NBA Cup schedule is:

vs Chicago, 10/30 at 7:30pm/EST at TD Garden

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at Charlotte, 11/6 at 7:00pm/EST at Spectrum Center

at Washington, 11/24 at 8:00pm/EST at Capital One Arena, that game is on NBC

vs Atlanta, 11/26 at 8:00pm/EST at TD Garden

It is a pretty light group for the Celtics and one they should be favored to win. In fact, I will be upset if they don’t.

With that said, they still need to play the games and all 4 of the teams Boston will play presents challenges.

Bulls

We saw Chicago on Monday and they aren’t a very good team. However, they can be a dangerous team.

Nic Claxton has yet to debut for the Bulls, he is likely to miss this game as well. Norman Powell was Chicago’s other big veteran addition, he had 20 points in the Celtics 134-99 win over the Bulls on Monday.

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It starts with rookie Caleb Wilson, who had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists on Monday night. The athleticism is what jumps off the screen early in Wilson’s career and I am excited to see how his shot comes along.

To this point, the Bulls rank 27th in offense and 29th in defense, according to NBA.com.

One thing Boston will need to do in this one is limit the turnovers. They had 25 in Monday’s win and they will likely lose this game if they turn it over that many times again.

Hornets

The Hornets made some big changes this summer sending LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges out the door. They added Naz Reid, Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen in those trades while acquiring former Celtic Dennis Schroder in a deal with the Cavaliers.

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The Hornets have been missing Coby White and Kon Knueppel to start the season so Brandon Miller has needed to play a big role, 24.3 points per game this season. His efficiency is down but the Hornets are winning games. They are 3-1 on the season.

Charlotte ranks 30th in offense and 11th in defense, though the offensive numbers will improve once they get Knueppel and White back, neither player has a timetable to return.

The Celtics will need to control the glass…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2026-celtics-nba-cup-preview-200000805.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-30 20:00:00

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