On the second night of a back to back, Boston has their hands full facing a confident Pistons team on a 7-game winning streak.
Boston finished off the Toronto Raptors behind strong 4th quarter performances from Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. Down several key players, Mazzulla dug deep into his reserves and pulled out some unusual lineups. Rookie Baylor Scheierman was called on for 11 real, rotation minutes, and there was even a brief JD Davison appearance.
Mazzulla picked the right game to test things out, but it also felt like an attempt to keep his players fresh on the first half of a back to back. Tatum and Hauser racked up 40 minutes, while Pritchard and White were at 35+. The Pistons on the other hand, come into this matchup rested. They are currently playing great basketball, some challenges, and a few questions for this Celtics team.
Will Boston have enough in the tank?
The Celtics have done a great job managing rest nights, and maintaining a high-level of play when they’re down a few regulars. Porzingis, Holiday, Horford and Kornet took the night off against the Raptors, and aside from some defensive lapses, the team didn’t really miss a beat. That sets them up nicely as Holiday Horford and Porzingis return to the lineup, but Jaylen Brown will miss this one with a thigh contusion, and Kornet remains out for personal reasons.
Detroit enters this game with a mostly healthy roster. 23-year old rising star Jaden Ivey has been out for quite some time with a broken fibula, but the remainder of their core is intact.
The rest and health advantage goes to the Pistons, but the Celtics have what they need to win this game. Their reinforcements should be enough to offset the tired legs of those that played the previous night, and hopefully make up for some of Brown’s scoring punch.
Two of the hottest teams in the league face-off, which streak ends?
The Cavaliers boast the longest winning streak in the league with 8 straight, but Detroit and Boston are right behind with 7 and 6 wins, respectively. Over the last 5 games, the Pistons have a 17.7 net rating, which is the second best in the league in that span.
These are not the same Pistons that the Celtics have defeated three times already this season. They are a young, confident and athletic group that would like nothing more than to halt this Celtics winning streak.
Cade Cunningham has taken the next step in his development as both a leader, and all-around weapon for his team. He’s averaging 25.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game this season, with his scoring jumping up to 29 ppg over the last 10.
He’ll have to go to battle with Jayson Tatum who is also in the middle of a stretch of brilliant basketball. Tatum is averaging 26.5/7.6/7.5 in his last 10 games, with pure dominance as facilitator. JT will have even more reason to increase his output with his wingman Jaylen Brown sidelined for the night.
There are other areas this game may be decided, but the matchup between these two stars is one to keep an eye on.
Which sixth man can swing the game?
Payton Pritchard and Malik Beasley have been two of the very best bench scorers in the league this season. Pritchard has spent his whole season as the sixth man, but Beasley’s move to the bench has been a recent revelation.
Beasley is averaging 15 points per game and shooting a blistering 47.8% from 3 in his last 10 games off the bench. Pritchard has been similarly effective, dropping in 14 ppg while shooting 40.9% from 3 this year. Pritchard’s playmaking has also been a boost for the Celtics in spurts, while that’s not exactly Beasley’s role.
It’ll be interesting to see which reserve can leave their mark on this game. A big night from either could be enough to push their team over the top.