The Boston Celtics take their momentum into Charlotte on Friday night, where they meet the Charlotte Hornets in Group Play in the NBA Cup. Boston is coming off a 109-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, while Charlotte returns home after a 114-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets that pushed its losing streak to five games.
The game matters now because Boston is beginning a four-game road swing and has already shown it can win without everyone on the floor. Jayson Tatum sat out Wednesday for needed rest, not injury, and is expected to be available in Charlotte, which gives the Celtics a cleaner path to keep their early form intact in a tighter setting away from home.
Derrick White helped carry that win over Milwaukee with 24 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as Boston built a 21-point halftime lead and held on. Payton Pritchard also turned in a useful night after being listed as questionable with a shoulder ailment, playing 18 minutes and scoring 10 points. That kind of contribution has been part of Boston’s value so far, especially on nights when the rotation is not fully settled.
Charlotte is dealing with a different kind of problem. Sion James said the team beat itself after the loss to Brooklyn, and the result fit the larger pattern: the Hornets could not finish cleanly, even with Naz Reid scoring a season-high 28 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Brandon Miller managed only 10 points on 2-for-15 shooting and 1-for-10 from 3-point range, while Kon Knueppel played six minutes in his first game of the season before leaving with a left leg ailment. He scored three points on free throws, but his status going forward is uncertain.
Boston’s injury picture is calmer, though not empty. Devin Carter missed the Milwaukee game because of illness, and Joe Mazzulla still had enough from White and the rest of the group to extend the Celtics’ steady start. The harder question in Charlotte is whether the Hornets can stabilize quickly enough to avoid letting one more home game slip away. Friday night will answer whether Knueppel is back in uniform, and whether Boston keeps moving through Group Play with another road win in hand.
