Celtics at Pistons
Coming off a woeful offensive showing, the Boston Celtics look to keep alive an improbable streak when they visit Detroit on Wednesday. The Celtics are 4-1 in the second half of back-to-backs this season and have won 10 straight road games in that scenario since last season, defying the odds of what is usually the most difficult single-game challenge for NBA teams.
To keep the run going Wednesday night, Boston will have to rebound from an 89-77 loss to Cleveland on Tuesday. Avery Bradley led the Celtics' meager attack with 17 points while fellow starting guard Isaiah Thomas had 12 on 3-of-15 shooting, part of a season-low 32.2 percent showing from the floor for Boston. The Pistons are 9-4 at home but have dropped two of their last three at the Palace of Auburn Hills, including Monday's 105-103 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Reggie Jackson paced Detroit with 34 points.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE CELTICS (14-11): Center Jared Sullinger recently had an impressive run of rebounding totals by grabbing 49 over a three-game stretch, but his production overall has dwindled the past couple of games and his offensive woes continue. After recording five points on 2-of-9 shooting against the Cavaliers, the fourth-year pro was posting career lows in field-goal percentage (41.8) and free-throw percentage (63) while his scoring average - which was 13.3 each of the past two seasons - fell to 9.7. It is emblematic of an offense that has put up points at a pretty good clip but ranked 23rd in the league from the floor (43.5) even before the season low against Cleveland.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (14-12): Wednesday offers an opportunity for the Pistons to reset after a testy postgame that featured coach Stan Van Gundy's ripping of center Andre Drummond for a defensive breakdown that led to the Clippers' game-winning basket. Van Gundy hasn't had many criticisms for Jackson of late, as the streaky guard is averaging 25.3 points, 6.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds over his last three games. Jackson had 21 points and 15 assists in the last meeting with Boston in April, and Drummond added 22 points and 14 boards.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pistons SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has 18 steals over a six-game stretch.
2. Boston entered Tuesday's action fourth in the NBA in assists per game (24.3), while Detroit was 28th (18.3)
3. The Celtics pay another visit to Detroit the day after Christmas.