Will Boston face serious difficulties in the upcoming matchup? At first glance, Detroit doesn’t seem like the team that can offer worthy resistance to the reigning NBA champion. On the other hand, the Pistons have significantly improved compared to last season. In this situation, we will try to analyze all the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents to provide you with an accurate prediction.

Head-to-head

In head-to-head matchups, Boston often disappoints Detroit. In a stretch of 51 games, the Celtics achieved the desired result 32 times, while the Pistons celebrated only 19 victories. Moreover, the reigning NBA champion hasn’t lost to Detroit for 10 games now (since February 17, 2022). For example, on October 27, Boston won with a score of 124-118.

Boston Celtics

Boston definitely approaches the upcoming matchup in high spirits. After missing a great opportunity to reach the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, the Celtics vented all their anger on Miami, securing a convincing victory with a 19-point margin (108-89). The team completely outplayed their opponent and could have destroyed them by an even larger score difference but decided to slow down in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Additionally, Boston played very reliably at their basket. Miami only converted 8 out of 35 shots from beyond the arc (accuracy 22.9%).

Detroit Pistons

Detroit hasn’t been doing well lately. The team has been winning much less frequently and has started to balance between the play-in zone and the eleventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Although it should be noted that the Pistons sometimes deliver a real performance. Just look at their crushing away victory over Indiana on the last day of autumn (130-106). But Indiana is not Boston. For a positive result, they will need to give 200% of their capabilities.

Editorial Prediction

The sportsbooks have no doubt that in the upcoming matchup, Boston will steamroll over their opponent. Overall, their opinion is quite understandable. Firstly, the teams are in completely different weight classes. While the Celtics have the strongest roster by NBA standards and are the reigning champions, the Pistons have been finishing at the bottom of the standings in recent years. Secondly, Detroit will have to play 2 incredibly tough games in 2 days. After a battle with such a serious opponent as Milwaukee (even if it’s a home game), the team simply won’t have enough strength left to fight against the Celtics. Considering the result of Joe Mazzulla’s team’s last meeting with Miami (108-89), our betting option is Boston to win with a handicap (-10.5).