The NBA does not have a complete monopoly on Martin Luther King Day this time around since the college football National Championship is taking place, but it’s still a day full of basketball. Monday’s schedule, which begins at 1:00 pm ET, is highlighted by an 8:00 pm ET showdown on NBC between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. This is without question a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview.
Let’s dive into my Celtics vs. Pistons predictions.
Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons odds
Money line: Celtics +120 / Pistons -140
Spread: Celtics +3 (-110) / Pistons -3 (-110)
Total: Over 224.5 (-108) / Under 224.5 (-112)
Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons best bet #1: Pistons -3 (-110)
The Pistons (30-10) are the best team in the East and the second-best team in the NBA behind only the defending champion Thunder. It is the same story at home. With a 16-4 home record, Detroit is the best team in the East and the second-best team in the association in its own gym. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad has already defeated Boston once in Detroit this season (119-113 on October 26) and it leads the head-to-head series 2-1 overall (most recently prevailed at TD Garden 112-105 on December 15).
Cade Cunningham and company have kept four of their last five opponents under the 100-point mark. The only exception is a 105-point output by Phoenix in Detroit’s victory this past Thursday. As if things won’t be difficult enough for the Celtics already, Payton Pritchard (16.6 ppg) is questionable for Monday due to an ankle injury. It kept him out of Saturday’s game against the Hawks, so he is certainly in jeopardy of also missing this one. The Celtics are 2-4 against the spread in their last six games, while the Pistons are 4-2 ATS in their past six. Detroit is also 5-2 ATS in the last seven head-to-head encounters and 3-0 ATS in its last three at home against Boston.
Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons best player prop bet: Duncan Robinson Over 2.5 three-pointers (+100)
Robinson is red hot at the moment — and that’s an understatement. The former Williams College and Michigan standout has drained at least four threes in four consecutive contests, including five against the Clippers on January 10. During this stretch, Robinson is 17-for-27 (63.0 percent) from downtown.
He now has a favorable matchup on his hands with Boston, which is allowing 14.4 three-pointers per game in 2025-26 — fifth most in the NBA. That number has climbed to 15.3 over the past three games. The Celtics are also giving up the 10th-best shooting percentage from deep (36.8 percent).
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