Celtics, Wizards To Collide In Boston
The Boston Celtics will host the Detroit Pistons at TD Garden on Monday.

The Celtics (53-14) are coming off an easy 130-104 win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Boston already locked a playoff berth, and the team can take an easy approach for the rest of the regular season, resting players if needed. The Celtics have been at their best at home, posting a 30-3 record in front of their fans at TD Garden. Plus, Boston is also entering an excellent run of form since the Celtics have won five contests in a row. The Celtics sit at the top of the Atlantic Division standings and hold a 13-game lead at the top of the division. As good as the Celtics have been in the regular season, their play screams “championship or bust” for Joe Mazzulla’s team.

Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring), Jaylen Brown (ankle) and Derrick White (hand) are all listed as game-time calls for Monday. Sam Hauser (ankle) is a game-time call as well after leaving Sunday’s game against Washington with an injury.

The Pistons (12-55) are coming off a 104-101 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday. Detroit has lost back-to-back games against the Heat, and Detroit has now dropped three of its last five contests. The Pistons sit dead last in the Central Division standings, and they’re set to finish the regular season near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. That’s probably what they were hoping for, as Detroit remains in a complicated stage of its rebuilding process, and the team could use another high pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Pistons will also aim to avenge what happened in the previous meeting against the Celtics, losing by a 128-122 overtime loss.

Quentin Grimes (knee) and Ausar Thompson (illness) are game-time calls for Monday. Both players have been missing multiple games in recent weeks.
Posted on: 3/17/2024 6:19 PM