Tip: 7:30 PM Court: The Palace of Auburn Hills Watch it: CSN Hear it: WEEI
Referees: Scott Foster, Mark Ayotte, Gary Zielinski
Get your tickets here: Boston Celtics Tickets
The Matchup
 |
 |
| Record: 6-4 | Record: 1-9 |
| On Road: 3-2 | At Home: 0-3 |
| Streak: Won 1 | Streak: Lost 1 |
| Leaders | Leaders |
| Buckets: Pierce (19.9 ppg) | Buckets: Greg Monroe (16.5 ppg) |
| Boards: Garnett (7.7 rpg) | Boards: Monroe (9.5 rpg) |
| Dimes: Rondo (13.4 apg) | Dimes: Brandon Knight (7.1 apg) |
| For the Stat Geeks: | For the Stat Geeks: |
| Offensive Rating: 106.2 (10th NBA) | Offensive Rating: 101.1 (24th NBA) |
| Defensive Rating: 105.5 (21st NBA) | Defensive Rating: 108.5 (27th NBA) |
| Pace: 91.6 (21st NBA) | Pace: 92.0 (17th NBA) |
Last time
The Celtics lost 2 of 3 to the Pistons last season. Greg Monroe averaged more than 20 points and just over 9 rebounds in those 3 games.
This time
Get it to: Rajon Rondo
Brandon Knight might be quick, but he’s not ready to handle Rajon Rondo right now. He’s going to need a lot of help, and that help is going to be what lets Rondo pick the Pistons apart. He’ll have a fresh KG and a fresh Paul Pierce to complete his assists, and with Garnett forcing Greg Monroe out of the paint, the Pistons won’t have much to throw in Rondo’s way as he drives to the hoop.
Gotta stop: Greg Monroe
He’s really, really, really good. The Celtics will have their hands full with him, especially when you consider the Pistons will miss a lot of shots, giving Monroe a chance to attack the boards and kill the C’s with second chance points. It’s going to be hard enough to stop him, it’s really going to get aggravating if he’s getting points off misses.
The Wild Card: Jason Maxiell vs. Brandon Bass
Will Bass be able to keep Maxiell off the boards? He’s averaging 9 points and 6 rebounds a game… so Bass had better keep him at those averages or else this game is going to be a lot more difficult than it should be.
How we see it goin’ down
I’m always weary of games like this. Back-to-backs aren’t kind to the C’s, and they got away with slacking off against a bad team for long stretches yesterday. There’s always part of me that is waiting for them to sleep walk through too much of these games. Remember, the C’s were 1-2 against the Pistons last season.
But the Pistons are just too terrible. I think the C’s bench can do the same job it did yesterday and not only hold… but extend a lead. The C’s had time to get to Detroit early, get some rest, and be ready for tonight’s game. KG and Pierce got plenty of rest, so I like them coming out strong. And there’s no game until Wednesday, so it’s not like they’re in a “overlook the bad team today because there’s a good team waiting for us tomorrow” situation. I think the C’s get to pad a few stats in this one.
Boston 105
Detroit 89
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
