If I told you the Pistons would be one win away from their franchise record winning streak before the season started, you would think I was crazy. However, that is the reality of the 2025-2026 Detroit Pistons, far and away the story of the season.
The Pistons have won 13 games in a row, which they have done three times in their franchise history, with two of those times ending in them hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Pistons also have the added incentive of this being a qualifying game for the NBA Cup, which they have a chance to win their group by winning tonight and beating the Orlando Magic on Friday. Both of these things can also incentivize the Boston Celtics in the same ways, as they can play spoiler for the NBA Cup group and end the longest winning streak in the NBA.
The Celtics are not their usual selves this season as they go through a bit of a transition to set themselves up when Jayson Tatum returns, but they still have talented players and play hard and have every possible motivation they could want in this game.
Where: TD Garden in Boston, MA
When: Wednesday, November 26 at 5 pm EST
Watch: ESPN
Odds: Pistons (-2.5)
The last time these two teams faced off was for the Pistons Home Opener, a hard-fought game where the Pistons came out on top after having to inch their way back in the game after a slow start. The early-season trend for the Pistons was very slow starts resulting in having to play perfect basketball over the final three quarters in order to win.
Now, that is no longer the case as the Pistons have been dominant during their 13-game winning streak. They have had some close calls like an overtime win against the Washington Wizards and Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, but even the best teams are going to have off nights. Say what you want about the Pistons early-season schedule, but they are beating the teams they are supposed to beat, which is the recipe for a good team.
That opening night victory by the Pistons moved the Celtics to 0-3 on the season, but they are 9-5 since that game and enter this contest with a 9-8 record. I would say it is right around where people expected the Celtics to be after trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and losing Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles in the playoffs.
The Celtics are led by Jaylen Brown, who has managed to step up as their go-to scorer in the absence of Tatum, but more importantly, still maintain pretty solid efficiency, as he is shooting 51% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc.
Derrick White has taken on additional offensive responsibilities as well, but has struggled a bit to keep up his level of efficiency that made him such an invaluable role player during their Championship season. He is still a very good defender and will likely draw the Cade Cunningham assignment along with the slew of defensive-focused wings the Celtics have to throw at him like Hugo Gonzalez and Josh Minott. That crew was basically full court pressing Cade the whole game on opening night and it took a while for him to get going as a result.
Like a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference right now, the Celtics are actually on a bit of a hot streak as they have won four of their last five games with their only loss being a shocking NBA Cup loss to the Brooklyn Nets last week. They obviously are not as hot as the Pistons, but they have definitely found their stride a bit so this is not the same team the Pistons faced during the Home Opener.
The Celtics are likely without starting center Neemias Queta, which means this could be a favorable matchup for Jalen Duren going up against the slender Chris Boucher and the slow footed Luka Garza. He will have to watch for both players on the perimeter though.
The Pistons have opted for a 12 man rotation the last couple of games and while it worked against the Bucks on Saturday, on Monday against the Pacers, the Pistons narrowly avoided a shocking loss after the Pacers overcame a 20-point deficit in the 2nd half. There was a lot of tough shot-making by the Pacers down the stretch, but I can’t help but wonder if trying to force minutes for 12 guys affects their ability to get momentum going.
There are advantages to using 12 players in regular season games against a short-handed Milwaukee team or the struggling Pacers, as it allows you to give some rest to your most important players during a long season. However, in a meaningful game like this one against a pretty good Celtics team, the Pistons may need to look to shorten their rotation. It might be a little tough given that Jaden Ivey is on a minutes restriction, but the Pistons should be using Daniss Jenkins to cover those minutes and only Jenkins.
Jenkins only played 8 minutes against the Pacers despite being his usual efficient self. It just goes to show how difficult it is to balance minutes and give minutes to the right players while playing a 12-man rotation.
JB Bickerstaff has given no indication that he will be cutting back the rotation, so I would expect more of the same, but if the Pistons are in a similar position as they were against the Pacers on Monday, the current version of the Celtics is much better equipped to take advantage of it and steal a win.
Let’s hope the Pistons come out engaged and ready to show why they are on a 13 game winning streak. A win this evening will put the 2025-2026 Detroit Pistons all alone on the franchise-record winning streak list. It will also setup a showdown with the Orlando Magic to win East Group B in the NBA Cup.
Boston Celtics (9-8): Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jordan Walsh, Chris Boucher
Detroit Pistons (15-2): Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Do you care about the NBA Cup or is it more of a novelty idea by the NBA that has no affect on your viewing experience?
