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The NBA continues Friday night as the Detroit Pistons host the Boston Celtics! It’s time to continue our NBA odds series with a Celtics-Pistons prediction and pick.
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The Celtics are on a three-game winning streak which is their longest streak of the season. Boston hasn’t been able to string some wins together until now and they have a favorable chance to continue that streak Friday night. The Celtics are (28-25) on the season which puts them 9th in the Eastern Conference. The Detroit Pistons are coming off a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last night 128-117. This will be the second night of a back-to-back for the Pistons at home as they host the surging Celtics. The Pistons remain irrelevant this season with a (12-39) record.
Here are the Celtics-Pistons NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Celtics-Pistons Odds
Boston Celtics: -9.5 (-114)
Detroit Pistons: +9.5 (-106)
Over: 214.5 (-112)
Under: 214.5 (-108)
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Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
The Celtics are starting to feel confident right now. They are healthy and are playing well as a group. Jayson Tatum is fresh off of being named an All-Star reserve and Jaylen Brown is hoping to be named a replacement in the next few days. Those two are running the show in Boston but they are also seeing some tremendous play from Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III lately. This is a very well-balanced squad, with Dennis Schroder and Josh Richardson also playing well off the bench. If Al Horford and Grant Williams improve their play, then the Celtics could really be dangerous.
The Celtics will likely win this game, although they have lost to the Pistons in three of the last four times they have faced. The Pistons are not a good team right now, but they have some talent that can win them games and potentially even more in the future. Boston will need to contain Jerami Grant and Seddiq Bey (who torched the Celtics last season). Rookie Cade Cunningham did not play against the Timberwolves last night but did notch a triple-double in the win over the Cleveland Cavaliers the game prior. Cunningham’s status is still up in the air against the Celtics and will likely be a game-time decision. Even if he plays, the Celtics will still be in a position to cover this spread.
Why The Pistons Could Cover The Spread
Detroit will need Cunningham to play if they want any chance of winning this game. Covering this spread isn’t out of the realm of possibilities because of how large the spread is. The Pistons have improved their play against the Celtics in the past so they could very well cover this spread tonight even without their star rookie. Corey Joseph started in replace of Cunningham against the Timberwolves but he wasn’t a factor in that game really at all. Instead, it was Frank Jackson scoring 25 off the bench who really sparked the Pistons. If Jackson can repeat his performance like he did last night, then the Pistons might be in this game.
The Pistons defense needs to really step up tonight. Guarding Tatum and Brown is a hard task and those two are lighting up arenas lately. The Pistons lost by 11 to the Timberwolves so it makes you wonder how much they will lose to an even better team. Regardless of whether Cunningham plays or not, the only way the Pistons will have a chance is if their defense shows up. They must keep the Celtics to below 115 points or else it could get ugly. The Celtics’ defense has been the best in basketball over the last 10 games, keeping opponents to just 99 points per game. That is not a good sign for the Pistons.
Final Celtics-Pistons Prediction & Pick
This is a large spread and it seems like Cunningham will miss his second-straight game. If he does indeed play, the Pistons will have a better chance. But I am taking the Celtics to cover this spread on the road. They are hot and the Pistons are not. That should be all you need to know.
Final Celtics-Pistons Prediction & Pick: Celtics -9.5 (-114)