Final: Celtics 134, Hornets 93 - Hot shooting C's bury Hornets

Basketball is back at the TD Garden with the Celtics opening up their preseason schedule against the Charlotte Hornets. 

It’s our first chance to see a few things with the Celtics, including Malcolm Brogdon and how he’ll fit with the returning players. It will also be interesting to see what combinations Joe Mazzulla uses and how he deploys his big men. 

I wouldn't expect the regulars to play much, but Mazzulla says he doesn’t have a defined minutes limit for anyone. 

“Just kind of want to see where they’re at physically and mentally,” Mazzulla said. “I think we get the things we need to get accomplished and we’re good for today … we’ll see how the game goes. And how they feel.”

The first preseason game is also our first data point of the season. Each year gives us new information. Players are a year older and some might have new motivations, like playing for a contract or just a general feeling of wanting to be more involved. Mazzulla will throw a starting lineup on the floor that we know won’t be the starting lineup when Robert Williams comes back. He will also need to come up with a consistent lineup until then, but when asked if how much we should read into today's starting lineup, Mazzulla said “nothing, I promise.” 

There's a lot to look forward to, even if some of it amounts to nothing. I’ll be adding my comments below as the game goes on, so feel free to chime in in the comments. 

Injury notes: Luke Kornet is out for Boston. Gordon Hayward and Cody Martin are out for Charlotte