The Boston Celtics return from their four-game West Coast swing with a 3-1 mark and boast an NBA-best record of 23-6.

After opening the trip with an overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics rattled off impressive victories against the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers. After two full days of rest, Boston heads back home to face the Detroit Pistons, a team that’s in the record books for all the wrong reasons.

The Boston Celtics Brace for the Lowly Detroit Pistons
The Celtics nearly pulled off an undefeated road trip against some solid competition. Boston’s lone blemish came during the opening game of the trip when they blew a 17-point lead against the Warriors and dropped a 132-126 decision in overtime.

The Celtics bounced back nicely and rattled off three straight wins with some balanced offense like no other. In three of those four games, all five starters scored in double figures. Al Horford, typically the sixth man, was the lone starter in the win over the Clippers who failed to score 10 points.

Boston star Jayson Tatum said that balance, along with the mindset that statistics no longer matter, has been the key to the team’s success this year.

“We all just kind of make it easier on each other,” he said per NBC Sports Boston. “Joe (Mazzulla) says success is going to look different for different guys on every single night. We all sacrifice to be a better team, a better group. Hopefully, it’s going to pay off in the end.”

Next up for the Celtics is the Pistons, a team that has more than its fair share of problems.

On Tuesday, December 26, the Pistons set an NBA record that no team wants. They lost for the 27th straight time in a 118-112 home loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

“You have to be real about where we are,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said, per ESPN. “Nobody wants something like this attached to them.”

The Celtics Can’t Afford To Look Past the Pistons
Call it a trap game or whatever you want, but the Celtics can’t afford to head into Thursday’s matchup with Detroit flat. Teams with nothing to lose are dangerous, and whenever any team plays the Celtics, there’s a target on Boston’s back.

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn admitted he was nervous when his team took on the Pistons in the second game of a back-to-back. The Pistons put up a fight before dropping their record-setting 27th straight game.

“I didn’t sleep very well last night, anticipating how tough this game was going to be,” Vaughn said, per ESPN. “Any time you play a team back-to-back like that, it is really tough to (win).”

The Pistons have some young talent, including Cade Cunning ham, the top pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Cunningham scored 41 points in the loss to the Nets and has had to quickly take on the leadership role of a young team.

“A lot of this load is trusted to me, on the court and in the locker room,” Cunningham said. “Every day, I try to lead the squad, and I haven’t been successful at that — 2-28. It’s only right that I speak for it and be the face of it.”

While the Celtics look for their fourth straight win, they’re also hoping to avoid being Detroit’s first in 28 games.