With the NBA’s official schedule release happening on Thursday, Boston Celtics fans have been getting tidbits of the team’s 2025-26 slate all week long. On Wednesday, the league shared the Emirates NBA Cup Group Stage schedules for all 30 teams.
The Celtics find themselves in the Eastern Conference’s “Group B,” alongside the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, and Detroit Pistons.
Their full Group B schedule is as follows:
- Oct. 31, 7 p.m. ET, at Philadelphia (Amazon Prime)
- Nov. 7, 7 p.m. ET at Orlando
- Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m. ET vs. Brooklyn
- Nov. 26, 5 p.m. ET vs. Detroit (ESPN)
Celtics will have their work cut out for them in a stacked pool
All teams but the Nets should feel they have a chance to come out on top, barring injuries (looking at you, Philly).
The Magic had an impressive offseason, adding Ty Jerome and Desmond Bane to their budding young core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs. After injuries held them back in the 2024-25 campaign, there’s hope that Orlando can establish themselves as one of the top teams in the conference. Making a deep run in the NBA Cup is a great first step in doing so.
As for the Pistons, they’ll be hoping to make similar strides. They wildly overachieved last year, adding 30 wins to their record-low total of 14 the year prior. Their jump was enough to land them the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, where they fell in six to the New York Knicks in a hard-fought series. Detroit’s young core, much like Orlando’s, should have them feeling pretty solid about their chances in the NBA Cup and beyond. Cade Cunningham is coming off of an All-NBA season, while Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, and a returning Jaden Ivey could all be poised to take a step up.
Philadelphia might be the biggest wild card in all of this because of the aforementioned injuries. Former MVP center Joel Embiid is struggling to get back on the court after a long history of knee issues, and veteran forward Paul George is having similar struggles. Despite that, the Sixers will have a young core of Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe to fall back on.
As stacked as the group feels, there’s still a chance that the Celtics can find their way out of it by either finishing atop it, or claiming the East’s Wild Card spot. In that case, they’d move on to the Knockout Rounds on Dec. 9 & 10. Past that point, the Semifinals will be played in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 13 and the Championship on Dec. 16.