The Celtics will face the Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Atlanta Hawks.
Aug 12, 2026, 3:46 PM UTC
The Celtics will once again compete for the Emirates NBA Cup this season — and they’ll look to secure the franchise’s first in-season tournament championship. Now, we know when that will happen, and against whom, as the NBA has unveiled the entire NBA Cup schedule as part of a week-long schedule rollout.
The Celtics are in Group C, which means they’ll compete against the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards. They failed to make it out of the group stage round in each of the past two seasons, and lost in the Quarterfinals in the Cup’s inaugural season. But, at least on paper, Group C is one they should stack up well against (only the Hawks were a playoff team last year).
* Friday, October 30th vs. Bulls, 7:30 p.m. ET
* Friday, November 6th at Hornets, 7 p.m. ET
* Tuesday, November 24th at Wizards, 8 p.m. ET
* Friday, November 27th vs. Hawks, 8 p.m. ET
After the group stage, there are three knockout rounds.
* Quarterfinals: Friday, December 4th and Saturday, December 5th
* Semifinals: Tuesday, December 8th and/or Wednesday, December 9th
* Championship: Friday, December 11th
We also know that the Celtics will face the Detroit Pistons for the first game of the NBA regular season on Tuesday, October 20th at 3pm ET, and host the New York Knicks for their home opener on Friday, October 23rd at 7pm ET.
On Christmas Day, the Celtics will host the Miami Heat at 2:30pm ET.
The full 2026-27 schedule will be released Thursday at 3pm ET.