Celtics Get Beneficial Schedule Change After NBA Cup Exit

Failing to make the knockout round of the NBA Cup proved to be beneficial for the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics had two games added to their schedule this month after their early exit and while they aren’t marquee matchups like the final stages of the in-season tournament would have provided, they should help Boston keep piling up the wins.

The Celtics will take on the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 12 for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip at TD Garden and then they will hit the road to face the Washington Wizards on Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. The Pistons and Wizards entered Wednesday with a combined 11-31 record.

Those contests will mark the third time this season in which the Celtics have gone up against both the Pistons and the Wizards. Boston earned a narrow six-point win over Detroit in its third game of the season and the two battle again Wednesday. The Celtics already dispatched the Wizards twice, easily beating them by 20 and 12 points.

The game against the Pistons starts a stretch in which the Celtics could go on a long winning streak as they face only one team which currently holds an above .500 record over a span of 10 games.

That should help the Celtics build on an already strong 17-4 record and push the Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 19-3 mark. The Cavaliers also didn’t qualify for the NBA Cup’s knockout round.

While the Celtics will miss out on a trip to Las Vegas and some substantial prize money the tournament gifts to the victors, they will get added rest, an important factor for a team looking to repeat and which relies on a couple of aging players in Al Horford and Jrue Holiday along with an oft-injured star center in Kristaps Porzingis.

The Celtics will play just two games over an 11-day span, giving them plenty time to recuperate and practice, which is an oddity during the grind of an NBA season.