The Boston Celtics (41-17, 31-26-1 ATS) battle the Detroit Pistons (15-43, 25-30-3 ATS) in the team’s last game before the All-Star break. Since meeting early last week, the Celtics have gone 3-1, dropping yesterday’s game in OT to Milwaukee, while Detroit is 1-2, most recently losing to Toronto. Boston is hoping to complete the season sweep against the Pistons. According to online sportsbook betonline.ag, the Celtics are 12-point favorites.
Point Spread: Boston Celtics -12
O/U: 227 points
ML: Celtics -700, Pistons +520
Injury Reports
Finally, the news Celtics fans have been waiting for: Marcus Smart is healthy. After missing the last 11 games with an ankle injury, Smart is available tonight. Jayson Tatum and Al Horford, who missed yesterday’s game, are also available. Jaylen Brown (face) remains out, and Mike Muscala (ankle) and Mfiondu Kabengele (personal) are also out. Robert Williams III (ankle) is questionable, and will likely sit the second half of the back-to-back.
For Detroit, Cade Cunningham (shin), Marvin Bagley III (hand) and Nerlens Noel (personal) are out. Bagley III is expected to return to the lineup soon after the break.
Projected Celtics Starters
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Blake Griffin
Projected Pistons Starters
PG: Killian Hayes
SG: Jaden Ivey
SF: Bojan Bodganovic
PF: Isaiah Stewart
C: Jalen Duren
Boston Celtics Overview
It’s a night and day difference between the starting lineups yesterday and today. Three of the Celtics four starters — Tatum, Horford, and Smart — who missed Monday’s game in Milwaukee are all back. Smart’s return is the most noteworthy, as it’s unclear whether he will be on a minutes restriction tonight. With the way Derrick White has been playing lately, there’s no need for the Celtics to rush him back into heavy minutes, but his presence no matter what will deepen the team’s loaded rotation and strengthen its defense (which hasn’t missed a beat in his absence).
In the last Celtics-Pistons game on Feb. 6, Boston wasn’t focused all the way through, and it made the contest much closer than it needed to be. After going up 23 in the third quarter, the Pistons nearly rallied all the way back before key buckets from the C’s put an end to Detroit’s hopes. The Celtics need to put off thinking about the break coming up and lock in against their inferior opponent, or else Detroit can make this one uncomfortably close again.
Detroit Pistons Overview
There’s a new young piece in Detroit, former #2 overall pick James Wiseman. The 21-year-old center will be making his team debut tonight after being acquired in a four-team trade. Though he fell out of favor in Golden State, Wiseman still has a boatload of potential, playing just 60 games and 1,098 minutes in under three years. On the Pistons, a team with no current aspirations, he will get a better chance to play real minutes and develop. Tonight, against a Celtics team thin at center with no Williams III or Muscala, him and the rest of the Pistons big men have an opportunity to make a major impact on the glass.
Prediction
With Milwaukee closing in on the Celtics’ diminishing lead in the East, I’m expecting Boston to play hard and go into the break with a win. There are aspects of this matchup that signal a trap game, but even if the Pistons play the Celtics tough like they did last week, I think Boston will pull through.
Boston Celtics 119, Detroit Pistons 108
