Final: Celtics 130, Pistons 120 - Brown, Porzingis lead C's past pesky Pistons

BOSTON CELTICS (17-4) vs. DETROIT PISTONS    (9-14)    

TD Garden, 7:30 p.m. - NBCS Boston

Line: Boston -12.5

INJURIES

Boston: Jayson Tatum (OUT, knee), Jrue Holiday (OUT, knee)

Detroit: Ausar Thompson (OUT, illness), Bobi Klintman (OUT, calf)

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Defense-first: The Pistons have been winning with their defense, which is carrying the seventh-worst offense in the league. The Celtics can win this game by locking in defensively, forcing a turnover-prone team (24th NBA in total turnovers) to cough it up, and then run to spark their offense. Boston’s points in the paint should be higher than normal in this game if they're getting the transition points they should get. 

2. Stay-Ready group: I expect Payton Pritchard to continue coming off the bench just to keep the continuity of his scoring on the floor when the first group is resting. We’ll either see a surprise starter or a bench-heavy group. Either way, someone like Drew Peterson should continue to see some minutes.

3. Pritchard’s roll: Four straight 20 point games for Pritchard. Do I hear five? 

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.