Halftime Report

Only two more quarters stand between the Celtics and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Pistons 59-46.

The Celtics entered the matchup having won five straight and they’re just two quarters away from another. Will they make it six, or will the Pistons step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.

Who’s Playing

Detroit Pistons @ Boston Celtics

Current Records: Detroit 12-55, Boston 53-14

How To Watch

• When: Monday, March 18, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts
• TV: Bally Sports – Detroit
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $80.00

What to Know

The Pistons have enjoyed a six-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. Having just played yesterday, they will head out on the road to face off against the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET on March 18th at TD Garden. The Pistons are the clear underdog, so they’re hoping it’s the size of the fight that determines this one.

The Pistons suffered their closest defeat since February 26th on Sunday. They lost 104-101 to Miami on a last-minute jump shot From Bam Adebayo. The Pistons have struggled against the Heat recently, as their game on Sunday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.

Meanwhile, the Celtics had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15.8 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Sunday. Everything went their way against Washington as Boston made off with a 130-104 win. With the Celtics ahead 81-53 at the half, the game was all but over already.

Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser were among the main playmakers for the Celtics as the former scored 30 points along with six assists and six rebounds and the latter went 10 for 13 from beyond the arc en route to 30 points and 1 assist. It was the first time this season that Hauser scored 25 or more points.

Detroit continue to see their hopes of redeeming themselves for a poor last season fade as the team sits at a 12-55 record this season. As for Boston, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won 16 of their last 18 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 53-14 record this season.

While only the Celtics took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Looking ahead to Monday, the game looks promising for the Celtics, as the team is favored by a full 16 points. This contest will be their 30th straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 17-11-1 against the spread).

The Pistons came up short against the Celtics in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 128-122. Can the Pistons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.

Odds

Boston is a big 16-point favorite against Detroit, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Celtics as a 15-point favorite.

The over/under is 224.5 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Boston has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Detroit.

• Dec 28, 2023 – Boston 128 vs. Detroit 122
• Feb 15, 2023 – Boston 127 vs. Detroit 109
• Feb 06, 2023 – Boston 111 vs. Detroit 99
• Nov 12, 2022 – Boston 117 vs. Detroit 108
• Nov 09, 2022 – Boston 128 vs. Detroit 112
• Mar 11, 2022 – Boston 114 vs. Detroit 103
• Feb 26, 2022 – Boston 113 vs. Detroit 104
• Feb 16, 2022 – Detroit 112 vs. Boston 111
• Feb 04, 2022 – Boston 102 vs. Detroit 93
• Feb 12, 2021 – Detroit 108 vs. Boston 102