Chapel Hill, N.C. • Gordon Hayward finally returned to the court, and Kyrie Irving got to play at North Carolina.
Hayward scored 10 points in his first game in nearly a year for the Boston Celtics, who fell to the Charlotte Hornets 104-97 on Friday night — the opening night of the NBA preseason schedule.
“Been waiting a long time to lace back up and get out there with the guys,” Hayward said.
It was Hayward’s first time in a game since Oct. 17, when he broke his fibula and dislocated his ankle about five minutes into the Celtics’ regular season opener at Cleveland.