Celtics drop preseason opener as Irving and Hayward return

The Celtics opened their preseason against the Charlotte Hornets in a game played at the Dean Dome on the University of North Carolina campus. Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving made their returns from injury and to the starting lineup. The Hornets won 104-97 after Boston jumped out to an early 20-point lead but let it slip away with sloppy play in the third quarter.

Brad Stevens returned to the starting five that opened last season with Irving and Hayward flanked by Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum. While it's expected that tonight's starters will be Stevens's closing unit, a topic in the offseason has been if he would also open games with that group. The thinking has been that starting Aron Baynes could make life easier on Horford and also set up a natural staggering of star-player minutes. Horford said in the run-up to the game that he expects to play primarily center this season and tonight's lineup and rotation backed that up.

A few other takeaways from the game...

BOX SCORE

Offensive versatility

Bench With Attitude

Pace and space

Reserves get run