Final: Pistons 117, Celtics 97 - Pistons dominate second half

BOSTON CELTICS (42-16) vs. DETROIT PISTONS (32-26)

Little Caeser’s Arena, 7 p.m. - NBC Sports Boston

Line: Celtics -4.5

Detroit has won seven straight games. Boston has won six straight games

INJURIES

Boston: Luke Kornet (OUT, personal reasons), Jaylen Brown (QUESTIONABLE OUT, thigh bruise), Sam Hauser (QUESTIONABLE AVAILABLE, back), Kristaps Porzingis (QUESTIONABLE AVAILABLE, illness)

Detroit: Jaden Ivey (OUT, leg), Simone Fontecchio (OUT, finger), Dennis Schröder (QUESTIONABLE, ankle)

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Revisiting the Knicks plan: Jalen Brunson is second in the NBA in drives and the Celtics effectively cut him off from getting to the rim. Cade Cunningham is third. 

Cunningham is bigger and stronger than Brunson, so cutting him off is going to be tough, so the Celtics will have to get a little better at the point of attack. If Jaylen Brown is healthy, he might get the assignment and try to use his strength and size to play physical. If not, the assignment might go to Holiday, who is strong enough to make things tough on Cunningham. 

2. Win the non-Cunningham minutes: He is the engine that makes this team go, so Joe Mazzulla might want to work his rotations so Jayson Tatum is on the floor when Cunningham sits. If the Celtics can build a big lead in those moments, they’ll just need to play even when Cunningham is back on the floor. 

3. Shake Ausar Thompson: Get creative with the offense and find ways to get Thompson cross-matched onto corner shooters instead of having him pick up Tatum or Brown at the point of attack. Whoever is on him should start off the ball and use pin-downs and flare screens to get his man the ball. Take advantage of his aggressiveness and try some cuts as he anticipates switches. Don’t just try to walk the ball up on him. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.