Celtics’ beatdown of Hornets all but guarantees that they’ll advance in the NBA Cup

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 6: Dennis Schroder #17 of the Charlotte Hornets and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics smile after the game during the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup on November 6, 2026 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Friday’s win over the Hornets was every Celtics fans’ dream. Boston took an early lead and instead of letting Charlotte back into the game, they continued put the beatdown on the Hornets until they were up by as many as 46 points.

As sick as it is to get a worry-free Celtics win every once in a while, this one hit different. The fact that they were able to dominate an Emirates NBA Cup game like this simply means more — literally.

POINT DIFFERENTIAL! pic.twitter.com/hlrZwBdyot

— Sam LaFrance (@SamLaFranceNBA) November 7, 2026

Boston sits head and shoulders above Group C now with a perfect 2-0 record and a +53 point differential. That second part is the key. If the first three runs of the Cup taught us anything, it’s that the points matter.

If you remember, the standings are decided by record, then head-to-head record, and then point differential. Anytime there’s a three-way tie, it goes straight to the points.

Boston is in full control of their fate at this point. Win their remaining games, and they’ll move onto the knockout stage — it’s that simple. As well all know, though, it isn’t always that easy with the Cs. In fact, they’ve never swept group play in the tournament. They love to lay an egg in some game that they have no business losing.

Their remaining matchups in the group are against the most formiddable teams — the Wizards and Hawks. These are two games Boston should win, but again, nothing is guaranteed.

In that case, we’re all thinking about points again.

If the best record in Group C is 3-1, then Boston could still win the group. But if it’s solely on head-to-head record, the other 3-1 team would likely be the one that beat them.

So… the Wild Card would be their only path forward.

After going down to Charlotte and bringing 48 minutes of pain to the hosts, the Cs hold the best point-differential in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers (+24), Heat (+20), and Pistons (+16) are the only other teams who are positive double-digits.

Granted, most teams have only played one Cup game, so they’ll have an extra chance to make up ground in that area. But Boston is looking good for now.

All of this is to say that as long as the Celtics win one more Cup game and don’t lose by a billion if they do drop one, then they should be on track to keep climbing towards their first ever deep run in the competition.

Frankly, if they don’t advance, it’ll be extremely disappointing.

As much as some fans don’t care for colorful courts and shenanigans that come with the Cup, it does add a lot of flare to these November nights and half a million bucks into the pockets of the players. Plus, if the Celtics are in a competition, you should want them to win every single time. The more trophies the franchise collects, the better.