Pistons at Celtics
The Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics meet Wednesday for the third time in a span of 22 days, this time with an encounter at TD Garden in Boston. Both teams are coming off victories, with the Pistons soaring past Orlando by a 115-89 margin on Monday, their largest win of the season.
All five Detroit starters finished in double figures - led by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's 21 points - and Brandon Jennings continued his comeback from a lengthy layoff with 17 points off the bench. After dropping consecutive games at home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets, the Celtics bounced back with a 103-94 victory at Brooklyn on Monday. Guard Avery Bradley was absent due to a hip contusion but Evan Turner stepped into the starting rotation to finish with 12 points and 11 rebounds as Boston improved to 10-6 on the road. The Pistons and Celtics split the first two meetings - both in Detroit - with Bradley scoring a team-high 18 points in a 99-93 victory on Dec. 26.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (19-16): Jennings also had six assists in his best game since returning from an Achilles tendon injury, and his increased production should keep Detroit firmly entrenched in a tight Eastern Conference race, as long as the rumors of his possible departure before the trade deadline fall flat. "I've said all along, our plan right now is that Brandon can help us make a playoff push, and that's what we're going to do," coach and team president Stan Van Gundy told reporters. Jennings and Caldwell-Pope combined to make 8-of-12 3-pointers against Orlando, as Detroit tied a season high with 14 triples.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (19-15): Both head coach Brad Stevens and his players expressed extreme displeasure with the back-to-back losses at home last week, and there appeared to be more motivation on Monday, when Boston raced to a 15-point lead after one quarter. "We were locked in as a unit and it showed the first five minutes of the game," Jae Crowder - who had a career-high 25 points - told the media. "We came out and we got into them and dictated the way the game was going to go." While Turner spelled Bradley, Kelly Olynyk was given the start underneath in place of the struggling Jared Sullinger, who responded to the demotion with 12 points, 10 rebounds and three steals in just 18 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Crowder has hit multiple 3-pointers in a career-high four straight games.
2. Caldwell-Pope had a career-high 31 points in a win over Boston on Dec. 16 but was held to six points in the Celtics' return trip 10 days later.
3. Boston entered Tuesday ranked 23rd in the NBA in field-goal percentage (43.5). Detroit was 28th (42.7).