Eastern Conference rivals will conclude their regular-season series on NBA on NBC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day slate, as the Detroit Pistons host the Boston Celtics at Little Caesars Arena.
The Celtics (26–15, 2nd East) have won seven of their last ten games, riding the momentum from Saturday’s 26-point rout of the Hawks in Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Pistons (30–10, 1st East) have captured six of their last eight and are fresh off a 43-point annihilation of the Pacers at home on Saturday night.
Detroit holds a 2–1 advantage in the season series, most recently taking down the Celtics at TD Garden on Dec. 15.
The squads will meet once more on Monday night, just hours after Cade Cunningham and Jaylen Brown were named Eastern Conference All-Star starters.
Here’s a look at the Injury Report:
Boston Celtics
- Out: Jayson Tatum (Achilles), Josh Minott (Ankle)
Detroit Pistons
- Out: Isaac Jones (Coach’s Decision)
- Questionable: Ronald Holland II (Illness)
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. Detroit enters as a slight 2.5-point home favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Boston sits as a +120 underdog. The game’s total is set at 223.5 points.
Celtics vs. Pistons Preview
Boston Celtics Preview
Even with Jayson Tatum on the sidelines, the Celtics have remained a perennial powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. They sit as the two-seed in the East and boast the league’s second-best offensive and net rating.
Boston’s offense is calm and calculated, ranking dead last in pace but first in limiting turnovers. Jaylen Brown — just named an All-Star starter on Monday afternoon — leads the charge with a career-high 29.7 points per game, which ranks fourth in the NBA. He’s flanked by sharpshooting guards Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, both of whom average over 16 points and bolster a lethal perimeter attack that buries the league’s second-most threes per game.
On the other end, although the Celtics rank just 14th in defensive rating, they have held opponents to the league’s second-fewest points per game on the third-lowest field-goal percentage.
Detroit Pistons Preview
After years in the cellar of the Eastern Conference, the Pistons have arrived. Detroit sits atop the East with the NBA’s second-most wins, and earlier this season tied a franchise record with 13 consecutive victories — a streak that fittingly ended in Boston on Nov. 26.
The Pistons own a near top-ten offense that scores the ninth-most points per game on the sixth-highest field-goal percentage. The offense is led by former first overall pick Cade Cunningham, who is averaging 25.9 points and 9.6 assists per game — the latter mark trailing only Nikola Jokic for the NBA lead. Meanwhile, 22-year-old big man Jalen Duren has taken an exceptional leap and contributes 17.8 points and 10.8 rebounds a night while serving as an anchor on the defensive end.
And that’s exactly where Detroit stands apart. The gritty, aggressive, modern-day Bad Boys rank second in defensive rating — holding opponents to the third-fewest points per game on the second-lowest field-goal percentage. They sit inside the league’s top three in rebounds (3rd), steals (2nd), and blocks (1st).
Celtics vs. Pistons Pick, Best Bet
The last three meetings between Detroit and Boston have been decided beyond the arc. In the Pistons’ lone loss, they let the Celtics catch fire from downtown — drilling 20 of 43 three-pointers (47%) in a narrow win on Nov. 26.
If the Pistons can lock down the perimeter, as they did in their two wins against Boston, they should be able to ride the hot hands of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren to another victory. Given their tenacious defense, it seems likely they’ll do just that on Monday night.
