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It’s an NBA matchup featuring the league’s best against the worst. The Boston Celtics, owners of the NBA best record at 23-6, host the Detroit Pistons (2-28) on Thursday, December 28.
According to FanDuel, the Celtics are a 17-point favorite, and has history shows, that big number doesn’t always translate into a victory.
The Boston Celtics Look to Hand the Pistons Their 28th Straight Loss
Although the Pistons had the top pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and the fifth overall pick in 2022 and 2023, they continue to struggle. The 2023-24 season has been one to forget.
The Pistons set a single-season record that nobody wants when they dropped a 118-112 decision to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. The loss was the 27th straight for the Pistons. According to ESPN, the Philadelphia 76ers hold the overall record of 28 straight losses, but that streak began during the 2014-15 season and carried over into the following year.
“You have to be real about where we are,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said after the loss to the Nets, per ESPN. “Nobody wants something like this attached to them.”
Meanwhile, the Celtics keep rolling.
Boston won the final three games of its four-game West Coast swing, posting victories over the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers. The lone blemish on the road trip for the Celtics was a 132-126 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors. In that one, Boston blew a 17-point lead.
Although the Celtics are significant favorites, the Pistons come into TD Garden with not much to lose. Nets coach Jacque Vaughn had to sweat out his team’s win over Detroit on Tuesday, the second leg of a back-to-back with the Pistons.
“I didn’t sleep very well last night, anticipating how tough this game was going to be,” Vaughn said. “Any time you play a team back-to-back like that, it is really tough to (win).”
The Celtics Can’t Get Complacent Against the Desperate Pistons
Being significant favorites doesn’t always guarantee a victory. Just ask the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In April 2023, the Wolves were 19.5-point favorites against the Portland Trail Blazers and fell 107-105 at home to a Blazers team that played without four starters.
According to ESPN, that win was the largest upset since the Dallas Mavericks beat the Seattle SuperSonics as 19.5-point underdogs in April 1993.
In August 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks were 18.5-point favorites against the Nets. Brooklyn pulled off a 119-116 victory to stun the defending champions.
While the Celtics seem like the easy pick over the Pistons, it’s far from a guarantee. While they seem to have turned things around this year, the Celtics have had a habit of playing down to the level of competition.
The additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have taken the pressure off Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Derrick White has stepped into the starting role and is playing at an All-Star level.
The Celtics are by far the better team and should handily beat the Pistons. They just can’t afford to let their guard down, as they have done in games past.
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