The full NBA schedule will be released later this week, but we already have a handful of important dates for the Boston Celtics. It includes the first night the NBA will be featured on Amazon Prime, plus Boston’s schedule for this year’s NBA Cup.

While the NBA Cup mostly induces eye rolls from hoop heads, it could be an important tournament for the Celtics this season. Boston won’t be among the favorites to win another NBA Championship in 2025-26 due to Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury, so the NBA Cup could take on new meaning for Joe Mazzulla’s team. It could serve as an early-season test for how the Tatum-less Celtics match up against three likely playoff teams.

Celtics NBA Cup Schedule

The Celtics will play in the Eastern Conference’s Group B in the NBA Cup, where they’ll match up with the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, and Detroit Pistons.

The Magic and the Pistons should be playoff teams again in 2025-26 after making great strides last season, while nobody ever knows what to expect out of the 76ers. The Nets are likely heading toward another season in the NBA lottery.

Here is Boston’s full NBA Cup schedule for the upcoming season:

Oct. 31: Celtics at 76ers, 7pm (Amazon Prime)
Nov. 7: Celtics at Magic, 7pm
Nov. 21: Nets at Celtics, 7:30pm
Nov. 26: Pistons at Celtics, 5pm (ESPN)

Pistons at Celtics will be quite the Thanksgiving appetizer for fans, putting Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and company against Cade Cunningham and a rising Detroit team. Boston was 3-1 against the Pistons last season, but Detroit is coming off a 44-win season (marking a 30-win improvement from 2023-24) and its first trip to the playoffs five seasons.

After each team plays each other in the group stage of the NBA Cup, the winners from each group and a wild card team from each conference will advance to the quarterfinals in December. The Celtics were 3-1 in group play last season but didn’t advance due to tiebreakers. Boston lost to the Indiana Pacers in the quarterfinals two years ago in the tournament’s inaugural season.

The NBA Cup semifinals and championship game will be held in Las Vegas on Dec. 13 and 16, respectively.

Celtics-Knicks on Amazon Prime

Before the NBA Cup tips off, the Celtics will be part of the NBA’s first Friday night double header on Amazon Prime. 

The C’s will be featured in the NBA’s first-ever game on Amazon Prime when they visit the New York Knicks for a playoff rematch at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 24, the league announced Wednesday. New York sent Boston to an early offseason in the second round of the 2024-25 NBA playoffs, when the Knicks beat the Celtics in six games. The Knicks went on to lose to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and replaced head coach Tom Thibodeau with Mike Brown in the offseason.

Given the low expectations surrounding the Celtics, Boston isn’t expected to be featured in many marquee games when the full NBA schedule is released. But a rematch with the Knicks to tip off the league’s new partnership with Amazon Prime is a pretty big spot for the Celtics to be featured in.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the nightcap on Amazon Prime.

Matt Geagan

Matthew Geagan is a sports producer for CBS Boston. He has been part of the WBZ sports team for nearly 20 years. He moved over to the web in 2012 and has covered all the highs (and a few lows) in Boston sports.