Now on a three-game winning streak, the Detroit Pistons will turn their attention to the Boston Celtics tonight in a matchup that may foreshadow the Eastern Conference Finals several months from now. With a 20-5 record, the Pistons remain in first place by a couple games, but the Celtics have made their charge up the standings after a particularly slow start to the 2025-26 regular season campaign. 

The Celtics are still five games behind the Pistons at 15-10 right now, but Boston looks like a team that can contend in the postseason. The New York Knicks separate the Pistons and the Celtics in second place, but all three teams look like they could challenge for the Eastern Conference crown.

But Detroit is finally healthy for the first time this season now that veteran forward Tobias Harris is back in the lineup after suffering a sprained ankle, and the Pistons used that deep bench to spread the ball around and tie an NBA record for balance against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. In that game, the Pistons had eight players in double figures and 12 different players scored at least seven points, which tied an NBA record in what was a 27-point victory for Detroit. 

So, both the Pistons and the Celtics are in good form as of late, and Detroit will be looking for revenge after losing 117-114 to Boston in the NBA Cup on Wednesday, Nov. 26. 

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Injuries

The Pistons do not have many injuries to report at the moment, but Isaac Jones is currently battling a knee issue. As for the Celtics, Jayson Tatum is obviously out as he continues to recover from an Achilles tear, and guard Ron Harper Jr. is considered day-to-day with a calf injury right now. 

Celtics News

With Tatum out of the picture for a couple more months, the Celtics have found a groove of late with Jaylen Brown as the team’s go-to scorer. In the month of December, Brown is averaging 33 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5 assists with a 40-point game against the Knicks mixed in there, so the All-Star wing player is producing at a high level as more volume has shifted into his direction. 

Last time out, the Celtics traveled to Milwaukee for what was a disappointing 15-point loss to the Bucks. The Celtics got off to a good start with at least 32 points in each of the first two quarters, but the Bucks made some terrific adjustments at halftime and held Boston to just 13 points in the third quarter and 21 points in the final frame. So, the Celtics allowed a big comeback and ended up losing by double-digits on the road. 

Despite that loss, the Bucks were rolling before that point as winners of five consecutive games, four of which were against teams above .500. 

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Celtics Player To Watch: Jaylen Brown

With Tatum out of the lineup, the Celtics have rode the playmaking ability and shooting firepower of Brown lately, and it’s worked for the most part. Brown is averaging a hair under 30 points per game, so he’s the focal point of Boston’s offense, though Payton Pritchard has shown flashes recently, as has Derrick White, who dropped 30 points against the Washington Wizards on Thursday, Dec. 4. 

Brown, though, can fill the bucket on a different level than White or Pritchard, so he should see a healthy dose of Ausar Thompson tonight. The dynamic 6-7 point forward for the Pistons takes his defensive assignment as personally as any player in the NBA, so Brown will have a tough test ahead of him if Ausar draws his number. 

Prediction: Detroit Pistons 119, Boston Celtics 105

The Celtics have benefited substantially from Brown’s offensive explosion as of late, but all it takes is one off shooting night from the All-Star to spell sayonara to Boston’s chances at winning. Since Thompson is likely to mark Brown for most of the night, the versatile Celtics wing player could be in for a difficult night at the office. 

As for the Pistons, Cade Cunningham is putting together a very compelling resume for the MVP award this season, and he’s been getting Jalen Duren involved early in most games this season. Duren is a double-double machine who’s continued to operate as a lethal lob threat for Cade in the half court, and the pair could terrorize the Celtics in the paint tonight. 

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