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Detroit Pistons (15-2) at Boston Celtics (9-8)
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
5:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #18, Home Game #10
TV: ESPN
Radio: 95.5 Sports Hub, 97.1 FM, Sirius XM
TD Garden
Probable Celtics Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Derrick White
SG: Payton Pritchard
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jordan Walsh
C: Luka Garza
Celtics ReservesAnfernee Simons
Josh Minott
Xavier Tillman
Sam Hauser
Hugo Gonzalez
Baylon Scheierman
Chris Boucher
Amari Williams
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Neemias Queta (ankle) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Pistons StartersPG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Cade Cunningham
SG: Duncan Robinson
SF: Ausar Thompson
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Jalen Duren
Pistons Reserves Javonte Green
Ron Holland II
Chaz Lanier
Paul Reed
Tolu Smith
Isaiah Stewart
Jaden Ivey
Caris LeVert
Two Way Players Daniss Jenkins
Colby Jones
Tolu Smith
Injuries/Out Bobi Klintman (ankle) out
Marcus Sasser (hip) out
Head Coach JB Bickerstaff
Game Notes The Celtics host the Detroit Pistons for the 2nd of 3 games between them this season. The Pistons won the first game 119-113 in Detroit on October 26. They will meet for a 3rd and final time in Detroit on January 19. The Celtics won the series 3-0 last season. They are 257-142 overall all time against the Pistons and they are 125-47 all time in games played in Boston. They have won their last 7 games at home against the Pistons.
This is the Celtics final Emerates NBA Cup game. They are in 4th place in Group B and are 1-2 in the 3 games played already. They beat the Magic and lost to the 76ers and Nets. The Pistons are in 1st place in Group B and they have a 2-0 record in group play. They beat the Nets and the 76ers and have one more game after this one against the Magic on 11/28. The Celtics have a -20 differential while the Pistons have a +27 differential.
The Celtics are 10th in the East, tied with 9th place Chicago, half a game behind 8th place Orlando and 1.5 games behind 6th place Atlanta. They are 1.5 games ahead of 11th place Milwaukee. They are 5-4 at home and 6-6 against Eastern Conference teams. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are coming off a win in their last game.
The Pistons are 1st in the East, 3 games ahead of 2nd place Toronto, 3.5 games ahead of 3rd place Miami, and 5.5 games ahead of 10th place Boston. They are 7-1 on the road and 11-2 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 10-0 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 13 games.
After this game at home against Detroit, the Celtics will head out on the road to play at Minnesota and at Cleveland before one game at home vs New York. Then, they play at Washington, at home against the Lakers and at Toronto before a break for the NBA Cup games. After the break, they host Miami, play at Toronto, host Indiana and then head out on a 5 game road trip through Indiana, Portland, Utah, Sacramento and the LA Clippers.
The Pistons will play Orlando at home on Friday, which will be their final NBA Cup game in group play. They then play at Miami, home against Atlanta, at Milwaukee,and home against Portland and Milwaukee. Then they will break for the NBA Cup tournament. After they tournament, they will play at Dallas, at home against Charlotte and then on a 5 game Western road trip.
Jayson Tatum remains out as he rehabs from a torn Achilles. Neemias Queta left Sunday's game with an ankle sprain and will miss this game. I'm going to guess that Luka Garza will start in his place, but Joe may start Chris Boucher, Xavier Tillman, Josh Minott, or even Amari Williams, who was called back from Maine for this game. With Joe, you never know.
For Detroit, they also have just 2 players on their injury report. Marcus Sasser is out with a right hip impingement. Sasser has yet to make his regular-season debut due to the hip injury. Bobi Klintman is also listed as out and will miss his 5th straight game due to an ankle sprain. The Pistons will start their regular 5 starters, This starting lineup is 5-2 this season.
Key Matchups vs
Derrick White vs Cade Cunninghom
Cunningham is averaging 27.1 points, 6 rebounds, 9.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 44.4% from the field and 40.3% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 25 points 3 rebounds and 8 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. The Celtics must defend him well both in the paint and on the perimeter and they need to expect him to pass to the open man since he is averaging 9.6 assists per game.
vs
Luka Garza vs Jalen Duren
Duren is averaging 20.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 67.1% from the field with no 3 pointers. In the first game against Boston, he finished with 18 points, 18 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks. I'm not sure who will start with Queta out, but regardless of who starts, they will have their hands full against Duren.
Honorable Mention Jordan Walsh vs Tobias Harris
Harris is averaging 13.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 44.3% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc. He always seems to play well against the Celtics and in the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the Game Defense - As always, defense is the key to winning this, and every, game. The Celtics have been up and down with their defensive effort. They are 16th with a defensive rating of 114.0. The Pistons, on the other hand, are 3rd with a defensive rating of 110.4. The Celtics must make defense a priority and match the Pistons' effort on defense if they hope to win this game. The Celtics have to especially defend the paint as the Pistons are #1 with 59.1 points in the paint per game.
Rebound - As with defense, rebounding will always be a key to winning. The Celtics have to crash the boards as a team and go after every rebound. The Celtics are 17th in the league with 44.5 rebounds per game. The Pistons are 7th, averaging 45.9 rebounds per game. Every Celtics has to crash the boards and they must work harder to grab rebounds than the Pistons.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics need to move the ball to get the best shots, but they have to be careful with the ball and avoid turnovers. They need to make careful passes and also focus on their ball handling so as not to turn the ball over. They are best in the league with just 11.3 turnovers per game. However, they tend to lose focus and at times turn the ball over way too much. The Pistons are 2nd in the league with 22.9 points off turnovers per game and they will make the Celtics pay if they get sloppy.
Effort and Energy for 48 Minutes- The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In most of their losses and even in their wins, they have allowed their opponents to play with more energy than them for periods of time during the game. They play well for stretches but let up and allow their opponents to surge ahead. The Celtics need to make playing with more effort and energy their identity this season and play that way for the entire game, not just a quarter or two. Jaylen Brown blasted the Celtics for their lack of effort and energy against the Nets. They played better against the Magic, but still allowed them to come back from 26 down to make it a close game. Hopefully they can play well for 48 minutes in this one.
X-Factors NBA Cup Home Game - The Celtics are at home and they need come out ready to protect home court. The Pistons have the distractions of travel and playing in front of a hostile crowd but they have played well on the road so far this season. It is also an NBA Cup game and so far, the Celtics haven't taken it very seriously, losing to the Nets at home in their last Cup game. The Pistons will be motivated to stay undefeated in cup play and the Celtics need to match their motiivation.
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight and call every bit of contact while others allow more physical play. Some favor the home team while others call both sides evenly. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game and not allow the no calls and bad calls to affect their focus on playing the game.
Topic: Pistons (15-2) at Celtics (9-8) Game #18 11/26/25 (Read 60 times)