BSJ Live Coverage: Celtics at Hornets 7:00 p.m. - November is on the road

BOSTON CELTICS at CHARLOTTE HORNETS

Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.

Game time: 7:00 p.m.

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Celtics injury report:

• Devin Carter - OUT (G League, two-way)
• Chris Cenac Jr. - OUT (G League, on assignment)
• Dillon Mitchell - OUT (G League, two-way)
• Payton Pritchar - AVAILABLE (right eye abrasion)
• Amari Williams - OUT (G League, two-way)

Hornets injury report:

• Michael Ajayi - OUT (G League, two-way)
• Christian Anderson - AVAILABLE
• Kylan Boswell - OUT (G League, two-way)
• Moussa Diabate - OUT (right quadriceps tendinopathy)
• PJ Hall - OUT (G League, two-way)
• Kon Knueppel - OUT (left hamstring strain)
• Dennis Schroder - OUT (left thigh soreness)
• Hannes Steinbach - AVAILABLE

• Grant Williams - OUT (right hamstring strain)

Preview: Fresh off a clutch, Jayson Tatum-less win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics are back on the road. The Celtics will spend most of their November schedule hopping around to different cities, and on Friday night, they'll take on the Charlotte Hornets.

Boston is 6-2 so far this season. Charlotte is 3-6. After trading LaMelo Ball this summer, the Hornets are struggling to find their footing on either side of the ball.

The talent is still there, though. Brandon Miller is a bucket. Naz Reid can light it up. Ryan Kalkbrenner is a mountain of a man. Nothing about this matchup will be easy for the Celtics.

Last season: The Celtics went 2-1 against the Hornets last year, and all three matchups were toward the end of the season. Boston got blown out in the first game but took care of business in the latter two.

That said, the Hornets look a lot different now. The Ball-for-Reid swap changed up the Hornets' look, and as noted, it hasn't gone well so far. That said, Knueppel's early-season injury has hampered Charlotte.

Shootaround sound: Friday night is more than just another regular-season game: It's the NBA Cup. Boston is 1-0 in The Cup but second in its group, as the Washington Wizards have a higher point differential.

"I think, just in general, the league is making the effort for us to go out there and have a better competitive environment," Neemias Queta said at shootaround on Friday morning. "Having games this early [in the season] where things matter more. I mean, it can be kind of monotonous sometimes, but that helps as well. At the same time, just for us, we've never got far in the tournament, so I think that's another layer of motivation for us, meaning that we can go all the way and win the tournament would mean a lot for us, too."

So, how much do the Celtics talk about the NBA Cup? Is it a huge point of emphasis for Joe Mazzulla? "No," Jordan Walsh said with a smile. Mazzulla never talks about The Cup.

"Yeah, he's never -- I don't think anybody really talks about it," Walsh said. "Honestly, this might be the first time we've talked about it. First time I've talked about it, for sure."

But just because no one really talks about it doesn't mean the Celtics don't want to win it. "I want us to finally win it," Walsh said. "I've been waiting for that. We've been playing in it. I just hope we can finally win it. That'd be fun"

Quick stats: Charlotte is dead last in points per game, putting up just 98.1 a night. The team in 29th, the Orlando Magic, are sitting at 105.5 points per game. It's been a truly woeful offensive start for the Hornets.

They have an offensive rating of 101.5 (30th in the NBA) and a defensive rating of 112.7 (19th in the NBA). Neither side of the ball has been going well.

Miller is the Hornets' leading scorer thus far. He's averaging 22.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. However, he's shooting just 35.9% from the field and 26.7% from deep on 11.2 3-point attempts per game. He's a great scorer, but not this year.

Reid has been right behind him, averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. He's shooting 42.3% from the floor and 35.0% from deep on 6.7 3-pointers a night.

Grayson Allen has been the best 3-point shooter on the team by far, shooting 49.2% from deep on 7.2 threes a night. Tidjane Salaun has also shot okay, making 39.1% of his 2.9 threes per contest.