The Celtics host the Detroit Pistons for the 3rd of 4 games between them this season. The Celtics won the first game 124-118 in Detroit on October 26. They won the second game 130-120 in Boston on December 4. This game was added after both teams failed to advance in the Emirates NBA Cup tournament. They will meet for a 4th and final time in Detroit on February 26. The Celtics won the series 3-0 last season. They are 255-140 overall all time against the Pistons and they are 125-46 all time in games played in Boston. They have won their last 11 games against the Pistons.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 1.5 games behind Cleveland after their recent loss to the Grizzlies. They are 10-3 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 17-3 against Eastern Conference opponents and they lost their last game. The Pistons are 11th in the East after their loss on Tuesday to the Bucks. They are 6-8 on the road and 3-7 in their last 10 games. They are 9-13 against Eastern Conference teams. They are coming off a win over the Knicks in their last game.
The Pistons last played on December 7 and they won’t play again until December 16. They will play They will play at home against Miami and Utah before going on a 4 game Western road trip that will take them through Phoenix, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento and Denver. They will then return home for a 4 game home stand, hosting Orlando, Charlotte, Minnesota and Portland.
The Celtics just finished a tough stretch or 5 games in 7 nights but haven’t played since Saturday 12/7. This is the final game of a 5 game home stand after games against Miami, Pistons, Milwaukee, and Memphis as the first 4 games in the home stand. They will play at Washington before facing Chicago at home and at Chicago in a home and home set. They then travel to Orlando before another 4 game home stand where they host Philadelphia, Indiana twice, and Toronto.
Jayson Tatum was once again questionable on the injury report due to right patella tendinopathy. He has regularly been on the report but has only missed one game so far, the December 4 game against the Pistons. He has been downgraded to out for this game. I would guess that Horford, Queta, Kornet or Tillman would start if he can not. Jaden Springer is out due to an illness.
Sam Hauser was originally questionable after injuring his adductor in the game against Memphis. He left the game and was unable to return. He has been downgraded to doubtful for this game and his final status will be a game time decision. For the Pistons, only Bobi Klintman is on the injury list with a calf injury. He has yet to suit up and play for them this season.
Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Al Horford
C: Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Jaden Springer (illness) out
Jayson Tatum (knee) out
Sam Hauser (adductor) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Pistons Starters
PG: Jaden Ivey
SG: Cade Cunningham
SF: Tim Hardaway, Jr
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Jalen Duren
Pistons Reserves
Malik Beasley
Simone Fontecchio
Ron Holland II
Wendell Moore, Jr
Paul Reed
Marcus Sasser
Isaiah Stewart
Ausar Thompson
2-Way Players
Daniss Jenkins
Cole Swider
Alondes Williams
Injuries/Out
Bobi Klintman (calf) out
Head Coach
JB Bickerstaff
Key Matchups
Derrick White vs Cade Cunningham
Cunningham is averaging 23.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1 steal while shooting 45.5% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc. In the first 2 games against the Celtics, he averaged 24 points, 7.5 rebounds, 12 assists and 2.5 blocks. He shot 46.5% from the field but just 29.4% from beyond the arc. The Celtics especially need to stay with him on defense and keep him from shooting and from making a pass to the open man.
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Jrue Holiday
Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
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Jaden Ivey
Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Jaden Ivey
Ivey is another of Detroit’s young stars. He is averaging 17.6 points, 4.2 rebounds 4.3 assists and 1 steal per game. He is shooting 44.5% from the field and 37.8% from beyond the arc. In the first 2 games against the Celtics, he averaged 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting 54.2% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him better in this game than they did in the last one.
Honorable Mention
Payton Pritchard vs Malik Beasley
Beasley is averaging 16 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He is shooting 43.7% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc. He is 4th in the league with 85 three pointers made. In the last game against the Celtics he went 2-4 and that moved him into 100th on the all time 3 points made list. In the 2 game against the Celtics he averaged 20 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field and 57.9% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need their own 6th man sharpshooter to have a good game on both ends of the court.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense will always be key to winning every game. The Celtics are 10th in the league with a 110.8 defensive rating while the Pistons are 15th with a defensive rating of 113.4. The Pistons are 21st in the league, averaging 110.5 points per game. In the last game against the Pistons, the Celtics allowed them to shoot 51.2% from the field and 51.3% from beyond the arc and they allowed them to score 120 points. After watching the Thunder play, I realized how far the Celtics have slipped from last season on the defensive end. The Celtics have to come into this game with the mindset that they need to play tough defense and not underestimate the Pistons, who have a lot of young and hungry players.
Rebound – Rebounding is important to give the Celtics extra possessions and to limit possessions for their opponents. The Celtics are averaging 44.0 rebounds per game (14th) while the Pistons are averaging 45.4 rebounds (7th). In their first meeting, the Pistons out-rebounded the Celtics 44-37 and in the second game the Celtics out rebounded the Pistons 43-34 and the Celtics have to once again crash the boards and out-rebound the Pistons. The Celtics are 11-0 when they out-rebound or tie their opponents and are just 8-4 when they are out-rebounded. Rebounding takes effort and the Celtics need to give extra effort to beat the Pistons to rebounds. When they show extra effort on the boards, it often shows up in other areas of the game as well.
Be Aggressive – The Celtics can’t come into the game expecting an easy game and to be able to take it easy on both ends of the court because they expect the Pistons to roll over and give up because the young Pistons play hard. They have to come in and be aggressive on defense, on taking the ball to the basket, on diving for loose balls, on rebounding and on playing as a team. If they allow the Pistons to play harder than them they may just be surprised with a loss.
3 Point Shooting – The Celtics are first in the league with 51.4 threes attempted per game and first with 19 makes per game. They are 13th, shooting 37% from three while the Pistons are 16th shooting 36.3% on threes. When the Celtics shoot 3’s in the flow of the game they are usually very good. But when they try to force it, they often go cold. They need to not try to force 3’s and continue to move the ball and take the best shot. Also, if the 3’s aren’t falling in this game they need to abandon that strategy and take the ball inside. They also need to defend the perimeter better as they allowed the Pistons to shoot 52.3% from beyond the arc in their last game.
X-Factors
Home Game – The Celtics are at home and they need come out ready to protect home court. Young teams often struggle on the road and hopefully the Garden will be loud and will be able to distract the young Pistons team who also have to face the distractions of travel. The Celtics will possibly be short handed and so every player has to step up their game. Too often we have seen the Celtics relax and let up and lose to teams they should absolutely beat. Both teams are well rested having last played on December 7.
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight and call every bit of contact while others allow more physical play. Some favor the home team while others call both sides evenly. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game and not allow the no calls and bad calls to affect their focus on playing the game.
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