The Detroit Pistons play the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden on Wednesday night.
The Pistons head to Boston having lost three straight games and they have dropped seven out of their last 10 games. Detroit is 14-27 this season and they are 6-14 away from home. The Celtics enter this contest after back to back wins. Boston is 27-11 on the year and they are one of the best home teams in the NBA at 16-3 on the year. The Celtics defeated the Pistons 114-93 in their first meeting of the season.
Detroit’s Injury Woes
The Detroit Pistons have struggled to find their form this season due to injuries. Detroit lost Reggie Jackson to injury early in the season and there is no timetable for his return. Blake Griffin missed several games since the beginning and now is out indefinitely after undergoing knee surgery last January 7th. Luke Kennard hasn’t played since December 22nd and he is now reported to be out until after the All-Star break.
Andre Drummond is averaging 17.4 points, 15.7 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.8 blocks per game as the team’s defensive anchor. Derrick Rose leads the team in scoring at 18.0 points while also issuing 5.8 assists per game. Luke Kennard is putting up 15.8 points per game but he is out with a knee injury.
The Pistons rank 22nd in the league in scoring at 108.3 points per game this season. They are 18th overall in scoring defense at 111.2 points per game allowed. Detroit ranks 29th in rebounding at 42.4 boards grabbed per contest and they are 14th in passing at 24.3 assists per game.
Back on Track
The Boston Celtics are back on track after losing three straight games. The Celtics blasted the Pelicans by 35 points behind Jayson Tatum’s career scoring night last Saturday. Then Boston cruised to an easy win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. Now they look to win three in a row against a Detroit squad that has lost three in a row and four out of their last five games.
Tatum scored 21 points on Monday night while Jaylen Brown added 19 points as the Celtics put six players in double-digit scoring. Kemba Walker scored 14 points and Marcus Smart had 12 points and 8 assists. Gordon Hayward shot just 4-11 but contributed 8 assists and 6 rebounds while scoring eight points.
Boston is ranked 14th in scoring at 111.4 points per game and they have the second-best scoring defense in the league at 104.3 points per game allowed. The Celtics are grabbing 45.9 points per game, 11th best overall. They are 19th in passing at 23.3 assists per game on the year.
Who Wins?
Detroit is 3-12 SU in their last 15 games played. The Pistons are 5-14 SU in their last 19 games played on the road, and 2-5 SU in their last seven games played against the Atlantic Division. Boston is 10-4 SU in their last 14 games played. The Celtics are 16-3 SU in their last 19 games played at home, and 7-1 SU in their last eight games against the Central Division. Head to head, the Celtics are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played against the Pistons.
The Pistons have lost seven out of their last 10 games played including the last three. They are still without Reggie Jackson and Blake Griffin may be out for the rest of the season. With Luke Kennard also joining the injured list, this team will have to rely heavily on Derrick Rose and Andre Drummond.
The Celtics have won two in a row since losing three straight games. Jayson Tatum followed up his career scoring night with 21 points in an easy win over the Bulls in their last outing. Boston has been terrific at home this season with only three losses in 20 games played at the TD Garden.
Dwane Casey benched Drummond in the 4th quarter of their previous game and I’m not sure if Casey got his message to his team. Detroit is dealing with too many injuries to key players and Boston is playing with its big guns ready and intact. Look for the Celtics to pick up the win here.
Prediction: Boston Celtics
Other Bets to Make
The Pistons are 3-12 ATS in their last 15 games played. Detroit is 2-4 ATS in their last six games played on the road, and 1-8 ATS in their last nine games played against the Eastern Conference. Boston is 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Celtics are 2-4 ATS in their last six games played at home, and 5-2 ATS in their last seven Wednesday games. Head to head, the Celtics are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played against the Pistons.
Pistons
+9.5 (-105)
Celtics
-9.5 (-115)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 01/15/20
The Pistons have struggled this season and their injury woes aren’t helping their loss. Reggie Jackson has been out since November 2 and Blake Griffin is out indefinitely after undergoing knee surgery last January 7th. Now Luke Kennard may be out until the All-Star break. The Celtics have found their rhythm back after their recent three-game losing skid. I like Boston to cover the spread here.
Prediction: Celtics -9.5
The total has gone over in nine out of the last 12 games played by the Pistons. The over is 4-2 in Detroit’s last six road games played. The total has gone under in six out of the last nine games played by the Celtics. Boston has seen the total go under six out of their last seven games against the Eastern Conference. The under is also 10-9 in the Celtics’ 19 home games played this year. Head to head, the total has gone over in three out of the last four games between these two teams. The over is also 5-1 in their last six meetings at the TD Garden.
Over
218 (-110)
Under
218 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 01/15/20
These teams combined for only 207 points in their first meeting of the year and it’s hard for me to think they will do better this time around, especially with the Pistons missing two out of their top four scorers in this game. The Celtics are 2nd best defensive team in the league this season at 104.3 points per game this season and they are in the middle in scoring. I like these teams to hit the under.
Prediction: Under 218