The Detroit Pistons face off against the Boston Celtics for the third time this season, with each team taking one game in the series. The Pistons won the first matchup by six and lost the second by three. The difference in each game? Boston’s three-point shooting. The Celtics tend to live and die by the three. In their loss to the Pistons, Boston hit just 15 of 45 threes (33%). In their win against Detroit, Boston hit 20 of 45 (46%).
Boston also somehow lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, the same Bucks team that then lost to the Brooklyn Nets by 45 points. The NBA season can seem crazy, but a lot of it can be explained by three-point variance. The Pistons have used a stout defense to propel them to an Eastern Conference-best 20-5 record. Again, though, there is 3-point variance to consider. The Pistons are allowing opponents to hit 32% from the left corner (second-best in the league). It’s a different story on the right corner. They allow a league-worst 46.5%.
The game tonight is a national game available on Peacock.
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Watch: Peacock, Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons +1.5
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Peyton Pritchard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jordan Walsh, Neemias Queta
What will be the three-point shooting for each team?
