The Boston Celtics are still in search of their first win of the 2025-26 season on Sunday when they take on the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit struggled in its season opener, losing to the Chicago Bulls, but it bounced back in a big way with a win over the Houston Rockets on Friday behind 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists from Cade Cunningham.
Detroit is favored at home in this matchup, as the C’s have listed Jaylen Brown (hamstring) as questionable. Boston is already thin with Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out for the foreseeable future, so losing Brown would be a major blow to Boston on Sunday afternoon.
The C’s scored just 95 points in a loss to the New York Knicks on Friday, and they blew a lead against the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opener. Can they pull off an upset on Sunday?
Let’s dive into the odds, players to watch and my prediction for Sunday’s Eastern Conference clash.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Moneyline
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Celtics Injury Report
Pistons Injury Report
Pistons Best NBA Prop Bet
Pistons forward Ausar Thompson is averaging 5.5 rebounds per game this season, but he picked up nine boards in the season opener against the Chicago Bulls.
Thompson averaged 6.4 rebounds per game as a rookie and 5.1 per game last season, but he has an amazing matchup against the Boston Celtics, who rank 19th in the NBA in opponent rebounds per game and dead last in opponent offensive rebounds per game.
A slasher and elite athlete, Thompson should be around the rim a whole bunch for a Pistons team that is looking to get back over .500 this season. With Jalen Duren averaging just 6.0 rebounds per game, Thompson is a solid bet to pick up the slack in this matchup.
The Pistons are in a great spot to cover in this matchup, as Boston has one of the worst bench units in the NBA and already has Brown dealing with an injury. I’d expect Brown to play, but Boston doesn’t have much room for error against a potential playoff team in the East.
Beating Houston is no small feat, and the Pistons showed that their terrible first half against Chicago is not going to be the norm this season.
Detroit is seventh in the NBA in defensive rating so far this season, and it should make things tough on a Boston team that lacks rim protection, rebounding and playmakers on this roster.
The C’s are putting a lot of pressure on Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard to be great every night, but I am fading them on the road here.
The Pistons should be able to cover in their home opener.
Pick: Pistons -3.5 (-108 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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