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Boston Celtics (26-15) at Detroit Pistons (30-10)
Monday, January 19, 2026
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #42, Road Game #23
TV: Peacock, NBC
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 97.1 The Ticket, SiriusXM
Little Caesars Arena
Probable Celtics Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Derrick White
SG: Payton Pritchard
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Sam Hauser
C: Neemias Queta
Celtics ReservesAnfernee Simons
Josh Minott
Xavier Tillman
Jordan Walsh
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
Chris Boucher
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Josh Minott (ankle) questionable
Chris Boucher (back) questionable
Payton Pritchard (ankle) questionable
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
Jaden Ivey
Ron Holland II
Bobi Klintman
Chaz Lanier
Paul Reed
Isaiah Stewart
Caris LeVert
Marcus Sasser
Two Way Players Daniss Jenkins
Colby Jones
Tolu Smith
Injuries/Out None
Head Coach JB Bickerstaff
Game Notes The Celtics have reached the end of their 4 game road trip as they visit the Detroit Pistons. This is the 4th and final meeting between these two teams this season. The Celtics are 1-2 in the 3 games so far. They lost 119-113 in Detroit on October 26. They won 117-114 in Boston on November 26 when they ended the Pistons 13 game win streak. The Celtics lost 112-105 in Boston on December 15. They are 257-143 overall all time against the Pistons and 100-87 in games played in Detroit.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1.5 games ahead of 2nd place New York. They are 2 games ahead of 4th place Toronto, 3 games ahead of 5th place Cleveland and 3.5 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 19-9 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 14-8 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.
The Pistons are 1st in the east, 4.5 games ahead of 2nd place Boston, 5 games ahead of 3rd place New York, 6.5 games ahead of 4th place Toronto, 7.5 games ahead of 5th place Cleveland, 8 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 7th place Orlando. They are 21-6 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 16-4 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.
The Celtics are playing in the final game of a 4 game road trip. They lost the first game in Indiana and won in Miami and Atlanta. The Celtics will then play one game at home against Indiana before playing Brooklyn and Chicago on the road. They will then have another 4 game home stand where they will host Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee. Then, they are on the road at Dallas and Houston before playing Miami, New York, and Chicago at home, taking them into the All Star Break.
For Detroit, this is the final game of a 6 game home stand. They beat New York, Chicago, Phoenix and Indiana and lost to the Clippers. Next, they will play at New Orleans and then home vs Houston and Sacramento. Then it's a 3 game road trip through Denver, Phoenix and Golden State before hosting Brooklyn, Denver, Washington, and New York. Then games at Charlotte and Toronto will take them to the All Star break.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum remains out as he continues to rehab from the Achilles tear he suffered in last year's playoffs. Josh Minott has missed 6 games with an ankle sprain and is questionable for this game. Chris Boucher is questionable due to back soreness. Payton Pritchard missed his first game of the season on Saturday with ankle soreness and is listed as questionable for this game. The Pistons have no one listed on their injury report.
Key Matchups vs
Derrick White vs Cade Cunninghom
Cunningham is averaging 25.9 points, 6 rebounds, 9.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 45.8% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. In the 3 game against the Celtics, he averaged 33 points 5 rebounds and 7.7 assists while shooting 47.7% from the field and 50% 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
Neemias Queta vs Jalen Duren
Duren is averaging 17.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 62.8% from the field with no 3 pointers. In the first 3 games against Boston, he averaged 14 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 46.4% from the field with no threes. The Celtics need to try to keep him out of the paint and off the boards.
Honorable MentionSam Hauser vs Tobias Harris
Harris is averaging 13.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 46.2% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. In the first 3 games against the Celtics, he averaged 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 45.5% from the field and 17.6% 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, even quarter to quarter within a game. The Celtics are 14th with a defensive rating of 114.0. The Pistons, on the other hand, are 2nd with a defensive rating of 108.5. The Celtics have to especially defend the paint as the Pistons are 2nd with 57.1 points in the paint per game.
The Celtics have to be ready for the tough defense that the Pistons play and they must make defense a priority and match the Pistons' effort on defense if they hope to win this 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 10th in the league with 44.9 rebounds per game. The Pistons are 3rd, averaging 46.4 rebounds per game. The Pistons average 17 second chance points per game, which is 6th in the league. Every Celtic has to crash the boards and they must work harder to grab rebounds than the Pistons to limit those 2nd chance points.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics need to move the ball to get the best shots. The Celtics are much better when they move the ball and don't lapse into iso ball. 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 12.0 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 21.8 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 some of 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. Hopefully they can play well for 48 minutes in this one just as they did against the Hawks.
X-Factors On the Road - The Celtics are on the road for the 4th straight game. They need to overcome the distractions of playing on the road and in front of a hostile crowd and stay focused on playing the right way. They have to come out playing hard right from the beginning and try to keep the Pistons' crowd from getting into the game. The final game of a road trip is always a tough game and the Celtics need to stay extra focused and play extra hard to get a win.
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game. We have recently seen how much of an x-factor officiating can be. The Celtics have to play so well all game that the officiating, no matter how bad, can't influence the outcome.
Topic: Celtics (26-15) at Pistons (30-10) Game #42 1/19/26 (Read 220 times)