The Boston Celtics will travel to The Palace of Auburn Hills to take on the Detroit Pistons. The game starts at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 26 and will air on CNE and FxD.
The Pistons were beaten by the Hawks 107-100 on Wednesday. Andre Drummond put in a solid effort despite the loss for Detroit, recording 25 points and 12 rebounds to earn his 26th double-double of the season. The Celtics, meanwhile, are coming off a 102-89 win over the Hornets on Wednesday. Kelly Olynyk shot 7-for-10 and led in scoring with 20 points.
Over the last five games, Reggie Jackson has been playing at a high level for the Pistons. During that stretch, he has averaged 25.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers.
Based on each team’s statistical profile, ball protection could play an integral role in this matchup. The Pistons commit the fourth-fewest miscues in the NBA (turnover percentage of 13.6%), while the ball-hawking defense of Detroit forces the second-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 16.5%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Pistons won the first game 119-116. Isaiah Thomas scored a game-high 38 points.
The Pistons are favored by a slight two-point margin in their matchup against Boston. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at 203 points. The Pistons enter the game with records of 17-13 Straight Up (SU) and 17-11-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 6-2-2 ATS over their last 10 games.
On the other side, Boston has a SU record of 16-13 and an ATS record of 16-12-1. In Eastern Conference games, Boston has gone 11-9 SU and 10-10 ATS. Boston makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking fourth in points off turnovers with an average of 19.6 per game.
The Pistons’ win over Boston in their last game brought their SU record to 6-4 over the Celtics in the last 10 games. Additionally, the Pistons lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos, ATS Winner – Bos, O/U – Over
Notes
Detroit is 5-0-2 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Detroit’s last 7 games.
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
Detroit is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home.
Detroit is 7-1-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Detroit’s last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit’s last 5 games when playing Boston.
Detroit is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing Boston.
Detroit is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston.
Detroit is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Boston.
On average, Boston puts up 103.3 points per game (ranked sixth). Detroit ranks 15th in points allowed per game with 100.0.
Detroit has allowed an average of 98.2 points per home game this season. Boston averages 103.4 points per away game, placing the team fourth in scoring.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Boston Celtics are an exceptional 15-2. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Detroit Pistons have an underachieving record of 4-11.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Celtics are just 1-11 this season. Detroit is a fantastic 13-2 when registering triple digits.
The Celtics have an offensive rating of 101.4 (ranked 23rd), while the Pistons rank 11th for their defensive rating of 100.6.
Detroit has an average field goal percentage of 42.7%. Boston is a poor 4-11 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Detroit Pistons attempt 25.0 three point field goals per game and the Boston Celtics attempt 27.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Detroit has a 10-8 record and Boston has a 12-10 record.
Detroit has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.34 this season (ranked 25th). Boston ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.61 (ranked ninth).
Detroit ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at third (47.5 per game), while Boston ranks 11th with 44.2 per game.
The Boston Celtics rank eighth in offensive rebounding, while the Detroit Pistons rank 10th in defensive rebounding.
Boston is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 16.5% (ranked second). Detroit has a losing record of 1-4 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 16.5% or greater.
