Final: Celtics 114, Pistons 103 - Lockdown 4th quarter keeps win streak alive

GAME 68
Boston Celtics (40-27, 23-11 home, 5th East) vs. Detroit Pistons (18-48, 7-26 road, 14th East)
TD Garden
7:30 PM - NBC Sports Boston 

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

Boston: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams

Detroit: Cade Cunningham, Cory Joseph, Saddiq Bey, Jerami Grant, Marvin Bagley III

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

- Aaron Nesmith remains out with a sprained right ankle. 

- Hamidou Diallo (Left Finger Sprain), Killian Hayes (Right Adductor Contusion), Frank Jackson (Bilateral Lumbar Spine Spasm), Rodney McGruder (Left Hamstring Strain), Chris Smith (Left Knee Sprain) and Isaiah Stewart (Right Knee Bone Bruise) are all out for Detroit.

- Boston is favored by 14.5

GOING A LITTLE DEEPER

- The Pistons are figuring things out

Detroit is 6-3 going back to their win over Boston right before the All-Star break. As much as Boston should win this game, it’s clear that the Pistons are no longer a gimme on the schedule.

“It's a physical battle every time, they are not the Pistons of earlier this year, they’ve won 6 out of 9, and they're playing extremely well. The other three losses have been close games,” Ime Udoka said. “They've improved throughout the season and getting everybody back healthy, Cunningham, obviously, a big piece of that. But last two have been battles.”

The Pistons have the third-best offensive rebounding percentage in the NBA over this nine-game stretch, which is something that has burned Boston in general this season, but it especially has against Detroit. They’ll catch a bit of a break with Isaiah Stewart out, but that doesn’t mean they can relax. 

“Bagley is there now so that's helped them in that regard. (Kelly) Olynyk has done well and then they have big wings that have hurt us,” Udoka said. “Bey got his late tip-in, game before All-Star break. So it's a full-team effort. And that's one of the things they do really well so not just Stewart being gone but the physicality overall, defensively, on the glass, attacking the basket, is what really stands out and why they've made some strides lately.”

So with that in mind…

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. BOX. OUT! This just can’t turn into another second-chance points fest for Detroit. There are some matchups that are just going to be tough for certain teams, and the Pistons are one of those for Boston. The Celtics can get physical, but that's not their general nature, so being drawn into a rock fight against Detroit is certainly possible again, but they can’t exacerbate things by just turning and watching shots. Secure the rebound and then go. 

2. Jaylen Brown’s effectiveness: He got up for the game against Brooklyn and then had a mostly tough game against the Charlotte Hornets. Is the ankle still an issue? Will he be able to put together a more consistent game? 

3. Can Tatum keep his roll going? 98 points over the last two games, so let’s see (a) if he keeps his roll going and (b) if he specifically tries to keep his roll going. The big story with Tatum is how well he’s playing over all, and that he’s playing the right way on his way to monster scoring nights. Well, there's nothing more intoxicating for a basketball player than a multi-game heater, so I wouldn’t be shocked if Tatum put up an early heat check. The key, though, is for him to keep inviting the double teams and moving the ball. He’s gotten this far by following the script, there's no reason to start ad-libbing now. 

GAME THREAD

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