For the first time since the year 2015, the Boston Celtics are not scheduled to participate in a Christmas Day game. Shams Charania of ESPN disclosed that the following ten NBA teams are slated to play on Christmas Day:
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Cleveland Cavaliers will play against the New York Knicks
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San Antonio Spurs will compete against the Oklahoma City Thunder
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Houston Rockets will face off against the Los Angeles Lakers
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Dallas Mavericks will battle the Golden State Warriors
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Minnesota Timberwolves will go head-to-head with the Denver Nuggets
In the previous year, the Celtics hosted the Philadelphia 76ers, resulting in a close defeat.
Typically, the NBA’s most contending teams are showcased on Christmas Day, and the Celtics have consistently been part of that group for almost a decade. However, the Celtics’ roster will experience significant changes in the upcoming season; Jayson Tatum will be out of action due to an Achilles injury, and the team will be missing five important rotation players from the prior season: Jrue Holiday (Portland Trail Blazers), Kristaps Porzingis (Atlanta Hawks), Luke Kornet (San Antonio Spurs), and Al Horford (currently unassigned). The Christmas Day schedule suggests that the league does not anticipate the Celtics being as highly competitive, presumably because of their offseason roster adjustments.
However, being excluded from the Christmas Day lineup does not necessarily spell disaster; the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers both did not participate in Christmas Day games last season, but they still progressed to compete in the NBA Finals.
The Celtics are also excluded from the Opening Night Schedule
Charania also announced which four teams are scheduled to play on the NBA’s Opening Night, which is scheduled for October 21st. As expected, the Celtics are not included in this list:
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Houston Rockets will compete against the Oklahoma City Thunder
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Golden State Warriors will play against the Los Angeles Lakers
In the prior season, the Celtics commenced their title defense with a dominant victory over the New York Knicks at their home arena.
