Celtics (2-0) at Pistons (0-1) Game #3 10/26/24

[FLCeltsFan]

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Boston Celtics (2-0) at Detroit Pistons (0-1)
Friday, October 26, 2024
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]3, Road Game [HASH]2
TV: NBCSB, BSDet, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 97.1 The Ticket, SiriusXM
Little Caesars Arena



Probable Celtics Starters
PG SG SFPF C
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Al Horford

Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson

Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Sam Hauser (back) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla


PG SG SF PF C
PG: Cade Cunningham
SG: Jaden Ivey
SF: Evan Fournier
PF: Tosan Evbuomwan
C: Jalen Duren

Pistons Reserves
Malik Beasley
Simone Fontecchio
Ron Holland II
Wendell Moore, Jr
Paul Reed
Marcus Sasser
Isaiah Stewart

2-Way Players
Daniss Jenkins
Cole Swider
Alondes Williams

Injuries/Out
Bobi Klintman (calf) questionable
Ausar Thompson (illness) questionable

Head Coach
JB Bickerstaff

Game Notes
The Celtics head to Detroit for their second straight road game. This is the first of 3 games between these two teams. They will play again in Boston on December 4 and on February 26 in Detroit. The Celtics won the series 3-0 last season. The Celtics are 253-140 overall all time and they are 129-94 in games played in Detroit.

The Celtics stood pat for the most part in the off season, bringing back their entire core of players and losing just Svi Mykhailiuk and Oshae Brissett. They added Baylor Scheierman, who was the 30th pick in the draft and signed 2nd round pick, Anton Watson to a 2 way contract. They have also added a couple of chips on their shoulder after a couple of Olympic snubs.

The Pistons made some off season moves. They signed Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris as free agents. They signed rookies Ronald Holland II and Bobi Klintman. They acquired Wendell Moore Jr. from Minnesota in exchange for draft considerations. They also claimed Paul Reed off waivers. They fired Head Coach Monty Williams and parted ways with general manager Troy Weaver.

The Celtics will be without Sam Hauser for the second game in a row. He is dealing with back soreness. They will also once again be without Kristaps Porzingis, who is still rehabbing from off season ankle surgery. For the Pistons, Ausar Thompson is expected to miss his third straight game while dealing with a blood clotting issue. Bobi Klintman is questionable with a right calf injury.

Key Matchups
vs
Jrue Holiday vs Cade Cunningham
The Pistons re-signed Cunningham to a five-year, $224 million rookie max extension this off season. In the Pistons first game against the Pacers, he finished with 28 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal while shooting 43.5% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Cunningham is expected by many to play at an All Star level this season.

vs
Derrick White vs Jaden Ivey
Ivey is another of Detroit's young stars. Against the Pacers in the first game, he finished with 17points, 5 rebounds 4 assists and 1 steal per game. He shot 38.5% from the field and went 0-2 from beyond the arc. The Celtics need another good game from Derrick White in this game.

Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs Tim Hardaway, Jr
Hardaway finished the Pistons first game with 14 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal. He will have a tough time in this game with Jaylen Brown, who is looking to make an All Defense team, guarding him.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense will always be key to winning every game. In the very young season, the Celtics are 10th in the league with a 108.8 defensive rating while the Pistons are 16th with a defensive rating of 113.9. The Celtics have to come into this game with the mindset that they need to play tough defense and not underestimate the Pistons, who have a lot of young and hungry players.

Rebound - Rebounding is important to give the Celtics extra possessions and to limit possessions for their opponents. The Celtics are averaging 44.5 rebounds per game (15th) while the Pistons are averaging 38 rebounds (26th). Rebounding takes effort and the Celtics need to give extra effort to beat the Pistons to rebounds. When they show extra effort on the boards, it often shows up in other areas of the game as well.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics can't come into the game expecting an easy game and to be able to take it easy on both ends of the court because the Pistons are expected to be a tanking team. They have to come in and be aggressive on defense, on taking the ball to the basket, on diving for loose balls, on rebounding and on playing as a team. If they allow the Pistons to play harder than them they may just be surprised with a loss. In their first meeting last season, the Pistons took the Celtics to overtime and they need to avoid that kind of play in this one.

3 Point Shooting - The Celtics are first in the league with 53 threes attempted per game and first with 23 makes per game. When the Celtics shoot 3's in the flow of the game they are usually very good. But when they try to force it, they often go cold. They need to not try to force 3's and continue to take the best shot. Also, if the 3's aren't falling in this game they need to abandon that strategy and take the ball inside.

X-Factors
Trap Game on the Road - The Celtics tend to underestimate teams that are expected to be tanking. They need to stay away from making that mistake in this game. They can't underestimate a team, even if they are not very good. The Celtics are also on the road and have to overcome the distractions that come with travel and playing in a hostile arena. The Pistons are playing on the second night of back to back games, having played in Cleveland on Friday. However, they are young and will be looking to make a statement against the Champions.

Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight and call every bit of contact while others allow more physical play. Some favor the home team while others call both sides evenly. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game and not allow no calls and bad calls to affect their focus on playing the game.

[CelticsLoyalist]

Brown looks tight. Those push shots to the basket he is leaving flat and short becuz he is not extending. He is flicking and pulling his arm back instead of following through and when he got another look he lifted it way too high becuz he was overthinking the arch. He needs to loosen up and let the game come to him within flow. Also, I think there is a focus issue. I don't like their demeanor. Their body language looks like they think they already won this one and there is no sense of urgency.

NOW, all that being said, as we have seen so far 3rd Qtrs seem to be when we lock in and put the game back firmly in control. We can also count on Det being gassed trying to keep this pace up and we should expect a couple more final pushes from them before they just give in to the Green Machine.

We better start acting like this game matters and push this game back out of reach. This Pistons team is not ready.

[CelticsLoyalist]

We look horrible. I am ok with whatever they call "Mazzulla Ball" but I do not like chucking.

[jmost]

Detroit played hard, but it feels like we lose focus when we build an early 20 point lead. Fortunately we were able to find our game just in time.

It was nice to see Jaylen hit two clutch free throws at the end.