NBA Preview: Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons – Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024

Eastern Conference rivals Detroit Pistons (10-15) and Boston Celtics (19-5) will battle it out at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Thursday, December 12 at 7:30 PM ET. The Celtics are moderately favored with a point spread at -12.5 (-110).

Detroit Pistons Betting Preview

The Pistons finally snapped their losing streak, which climbed to three games, with a recent 120-111 victory over the New York Knicks. Prior to that win, they battled the Celtics and lost 130-120, so this could be a good sign with positive momentum.

Cade Cunningham led them with 29 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds on 53 percent shooting from the field. They also jumped out to a 39-23 first quarter performance that helped set the tone early.

They were similar to the Knicks when it came to shooting a little over 50 percent from the field, but they made half of their threes while holding the Knicks to 32.4 percent from behind the arc. They also had more turnovers at 19 compared to the Knicks 15, which cannot happen against the Celtics.

The Pistons are averaging 110.5 points a game and rank 21st in the league. They are holding teams to 113.0 points a game and rank 15th defensively for this effort, which is about average. For this point differential, they typically allow more than they can put up in points.

Boston Celtics Betting Preview

The Celtics just had their three-game winning streak snapped with a 127-121 performance against the Memphis Grizzlies. They allowed the Grizzlies to get hot early and it was enough to carry the momentum.

Jrue Holiday led in points with 23, while Jayson Tatum had a good game too with 17 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists. Together they will need another big performance if they want a shot at success.

The biggest key that separated the Celtics and Grizzlies was the shooting. The Grizzlies made half of their shots from the field and 45.5 percent from deep.

The Celtics are putting together 120.1 points a game and rank third in the league. Their defense has held opponents to 110.7 per game. This is an appealing margin of error to play with.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

NBA betting odds for the Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics collision has been offered through MyBookie, which currently shows the Celtics as 13.5-point favorites. Looking at market analysis, the Celtics have an 82.8 percent chance of winning.

As good as the Celtics have performed this year, they have not defeated the Pistons by more than 10 points in the two meetings they have had so far. While the Celtics are an appealing choice to win here, look for the Pistons to cover the spread.

Final Pick: Detroit Pistons +12.5 (-110)