Celtics vs Pistons Picks and Predictions: Red-Hot Detroit Ready to Challenge Champs

Boston Celtics (42-16 SU, 25-32 ATS) vs. Detroit Pistons (32-26 SU, 32-25 ATS)

When: Wednesday, February 26th, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: Little Caesars Arena, MI, Detroit

TV: NBCS

Point Spread: Bos -4/Det +4

Total: 226

Money Line: Boston Celtics -171/+144

Notable Injuries

Celtics

• Al Horford (Questionable) Toe
• Kristaps Porzingis (Questionable) Illness
• Luke Kornet (Questionable) Personal

Pistons

• Jaden Ivey (Out) Fibula
• Simone Fontecchio (Questionable) Hand

At 7:00 ET, the Boston Celtics (-171) will take on the Detroit Pistons (+144) at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Celtics are currently favored by 4 points and have won 6 straight games. The Pistons are on a 7-game win streak of their own and are 6th in the Eastern Conference.

This Eastern Conference matchup will be televised on NBCS.

Recent Form

Boston improved to 42-16 this season with a 111-101 win over the Raptors on Tuesday. The Celtics were favored by 11 points but didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 212 fell short of the 226.5-point O/U line.

Boston jumped out to an early lead, going up 35-24 after the 1st quarter, but the Raptors responded with a 10-0 run. The Celtics regained control and led 89-76 going into the 4th, where they were outscored 25-22.

Detroit improved to 32-26 on the season with a 106-97 win over the Clippers on Monday. Playing at home, the Pistons were favored by 3 points and covered the spread with the 9-point victory. The game’s total score of 203 points fell short of the 220-point over/under line.

A key moment came when Detroit went on a 10-0 run, turning a 17-16 deficit into a 26-17 lead. Although the Clippers outscored the Pistons 32-28 in the 2nd quarter, Detroit responded by winning the 3rd quarter 34-26 and entered the 4th with an 85-75 lead. The Clippers edged the Pistons 22-21 in the final quarter, but Detroit held on for the win.

The Historicals

In terms of betting, Boston has an ATS record of 3-2 in the previous five matchups vs Detroit. This mark has come on an average scoring margin of +19 points per game in favor of the Celtics. A combined average of 231 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 3-2.

Analysis

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 24 points in their win over the Raptors, scoring 11 in the 2nd quarter and adding eight more in the 4th. Derrick White contributed 22 points, hitting six threes at 54.5%, and Payton Pritchard added 20 points, with eight coming in both the 1st and 3rd quarters.

Boston shot 47.3% from the field but struggled from beyond the arc, making just 29.4% of their threes. They hit 15 threes overall, with Pritchard connecting on 4, despite shooting just 30.8% from deep.

Despite allowing the Raptors to shoot 50% from the field, the Celtics’ defense held them to 101 points in Tuesday’s win. Boston gave up 30 points in the 2nd quarter but tightened up in the 3rd, allowing just 22 points.

The Celtics were particularly effective at defending the three-point line, where Toronto shot just 15% and made only five threes. Boston also sent the Raptors to the free-throw line 16 times, where they hit 12. The Celtics finished with nine steals and four blocks.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons to a win over the Clippers, scoring 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists despite shooting 40.9% from the field. He hit four threes at a 44.4% rate, while the team made just nine threes, shooting 31% from deep.

Tobias Harris contributed 20 points, shooting 69.2% overall and 66.7% from three. Jalen Duren added 12 points and 19 rebounds. Cunningham scored 9 points in both the 3rd and 4th quarters, while Harris also added 9 points in the 3rd.

The Pistons put together a strong defensive performance, holding the Clippers to just 97 points on Monday. Detroit started well, allowing only 17 points in the 1st quarter, and finished strong with a 22-point 4th quarter. Overall, they held the Clippers to 40% shooting from the field.

From beyond the arc, the Pistons limited the Clippers to 11 made threes on 26% shooting. They also sent the Clippers to the line 19 times, where they made 12 free throws. Defensively, Detroit recorded 11 steals and seven blocks.

Betting Trends

• When looking at their past three road matchups, Boston has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 112 per game. The team went 3-0 overall in these games.
• The Pistons are 3-0 ATS in their last three home games and 3-0 straight-up.
• As the betting underdog, the Pistons have an ATS mark of just 5-5 in their last ten games. Detroit posted a straight-up mark of 4-6 in these matchups.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the favorite, the Celtics have a straight-up record of 9-1. Their record vs the spread in these games was 6-4.

Joe’s Pick To Cover The Spread

One year ago, it would have been hard to imagine the Pistons sitting with a line of +4 vs the Celtics, as Detroit has made a remarkable turnaround this season. Tonight’s matchup pits a Celtics squad that has won 8-straight against a Pistons unit that has a 7-game winning streak of their own. I think Detroit comes out looking to make a statement that they are not just a good story but have a chance to make some noise in the post-season. I like the Pistons to cover at +4.