Halftime Report

Only two more quarters stand between the Celtics and the victory they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Pistons 59-44.

If the Celtics keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 20-5 in no time. On the other hand, the Pistons will have to make due with a 10-16 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who’s Playing

Detroit Pistons @ Boston Celtics

Current Records: Detroit 10-15, Boston 19-5

How To Watch

• When: Thursday, December 12, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts
• TV: NBATV
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $36.00

What to Know

The Celtics will be playing the full four quarters on Thursday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. Armed with a few days’ rest, they will face off against the Detroit Pistons at 7:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden. The Celtics are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 120.1 points per game this season.

The Celtics are probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering the Grizzlies just ended the team’s three-game winning streak on Saturday. They took a 127-121 hit to the loss column at the hands of Memphis.

Even though they lost, the Celtics smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That’s the most offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in October.

Meanwhile, the Pistons hadn’t done well against the Knicks recently (they were 0-10 in their previous ten matchups), but they didn’t let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Pistons came out on top against the Knicks by a score of 120-111. The victory was a breath of fresh air for Detroit as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Cade Cunningham was a one-man wrecking crew for the Pistons as he shot 5-for-8 from downtown and dropped a triple-double on 29 points, ten rebounds, and 15 assists. The dominant performance gave Cunningham a new career-high in assists.

Boston’s loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 19-5. As for Detroit, their win bumped their record up to 10-15.

Thursday’s game is shaping up to be a scrappy match: The Celtics haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 11.3 turnovers per game (they’re ranked second in turnovers per game overall). It’s a different story for the Pistons, though, as they’ve been averaging 15.9. Given the Celtics’ sizable advantage in that area, the Pistons will need to find a way to close that gap.

The Celtics beat the Pistons 130-120 in their previous meeting last Wednesday. Do the Celtics have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pistons turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.

Odds

Boston is a big 12.5-point favorite against Detroit, according to the latest NBA odds.

Bettors have moved against the Celtics slightly, as the game opened with the Celtics as a 14-point favorite.

The over/under is 227 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Boston has won all of the games they’ve played against Detroit in the last 2 years.

• Dec 04, 2024 – Boston 130 vs. Detroit 120
• Oct 26, 2024 – Boston 124 vs. Detroit 118
• Mar 22, 2024 – Boston 129 vs. Detroit 102
• Mar 18, 2024 – Boston 119 vs. Detroit 94
• Dec 28, 2023 – Boston 128 vs. Detroit 122
• Feb 15, 2023 – Boston 127 vs. Detroit 109
• Feb 06, 2023 – Boston 111 vs. Detroit 99
• Nov 12, 2022 – Boston 117 vs. Detroit 108
• Nov 09, 2022 – Boston 128 vs. Detroit 112
• Mar 11, 2022 – Boston 114 vs. Detroit 103