Detroit Pistons (9-14) at Boston Celtics (17-4) Game #22 12/4/24

The Celtics host the Detroit Pistons for the second of three games between them this season.

The Celtics host the Detroit Pistons for the 2nd of 4 games between them this season. The Celtics won the first game 124-118 in Detroit on October 26. They will meet for a third time on December 12 in Boston and a final time in Detroit on February 26. The Celtics won the series 3-0 last season. They are 254-140 overall all time against the Pistons and they are 124-46 all time in games played in Boston.

The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 1.5 games behind Cleveland after their recent loss to the Cavs. They are 8-2 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 15-3 against Eastern Conference opponents and they are looking for their 2nd straight win. The Pistons are 11th in the East after their loss on Tuesday to the Bucks. They are 5-7 on the road and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are 8-11 against Eastern Conference teams. They have lost their last 2 games.

The Pistons are playing on the second night of back to back games. They are 1-4 in the 2nd of back to back games. They will play at New York after this game and then return home for one game against Utah before going on a 4 game Western road trip that will take them through Phoenix, The Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento and Denver. They will then return home for a 4 game home stand.

The Celtics are playing in the 3rd game in 4 nights after back to back games on Sunday and Monday. This is the second game of a 5 game home stand with games against, Milwaukee, Memphis and Chicago at home coming up following this one. They then visit Chicago in a home and home set and then travel to Orlando before another 4 game home stand where they host Philadelphia, Indiana twice, and Toronto.

The Celtics were without Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis (rest) on Monday due to it being the 2nd of back to back games. They were also without Jrue Holiday (knee). Although Jayson Tatum (right patella tendinopathy) and Jaylen Brown (illness) were on the injury list going into the game, both played. Jrue Holiday (knee) and Jayson Tatum (knee) are both on the injury list going into this game. I’ve included both in the starting lineup but they may or may not play and it’s hard to guess who would start if they don’t play.

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. Cade Cunningham missed 4 games due to a Left Sacroiliac Joint; Sprain. He missed games on 11/23, 11/25, and 11/27. He played on 11/29 but missed the game on 11/30. He played against the Bucks on Tuesday night in the first game of their back to back set. At this time, he is not on the injury list but he may or may not sit out this one for injury management.

Probable Celtics Starters

PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Kristaps Porzingis

Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson

Injuries/Out
Jrue Holiday (knee) questionable
Jayson Tatum (knee) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Pistons Starters

PG: Cade Cunningham
SG: Jaden Ivey
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

Jrue Holiday vs Cade Cunningham
Cunningham is averaging 23.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1 steal while shooting 44.3% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 blocks. He shot 40.9% from the field but just 25% from beyond the arc. Cunningham has been in and out of the lineup with an injury and Holiday is questionable so we may or may not see one or both of these players.

Derrick White vs Jaden Ivey
Ivey is another of Detroit’s young stars. He is averaging 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds 4.3 assists and 1 steal per game. He is shooting 45.2% from the field and 38.3 from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 55.6% from the field and 40.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him well in this game.

Honorable Mention
Payton Pritchard vs Malik Beasley
Beasley is averaging 15.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game. He is shooting 43.7% from the field and 39.9% from beyond the arc. He is 4th in the league with 79 three pointers made and made 65 three pointers in November alone. in the first game against the Celtics he finished with 17 points and 3 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field and 62.5% from beyond the arc.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense will always be key to winning every game. The Celtics are 8th in the league with a 110.2 defensive rating while the Pistons are 12th with a defensive rating of 118.5. The Pistons are 22nd in the league, averaging 112.1 points per game. 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 43.9 rebounds per game (14th) while the Pistons are averaging 46.2 rebounds (5th). In their first meeting, the Pistons out-rebounded the Celtics 44-37 and the Celtics have to do better in this game. 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 the Pistons are expected to be a tanking team 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 50.9 threes attempted per game and first with 19 makes per game. 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.

X-Factors
Home Game and Fatigue – 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. The Pistons are playing on the second night of back to back games while the Celtics are playing in the 3rd game in 4 nights so fatigue may come into play.

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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