Can the Pistons Hold Off the Celtics to Advance Their Playoff Quest?

The Detroit Pistons are currently on a seven-game winning streak. Led by Cade Cunningham, the Pistons are in the playoff hunt in the NBA Eastern Conference. The team's Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, matchup presents the biggest challenge: Will the Pistons overtake the Celtics to keep their streak alive?

In the Pistons' faceoffs against the Celtics this season, Ausar Thompson has had few opportunities to capitalize on his current performance. Over the Pistons' last 10 games, Thompson has averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. As a point forward, Thompson could have plenty of chances to make an impact for the Pistons, noted Tyrone Smith of LastWordonSports.com. 

Over his last 10 games, Jalen Duren has made significant strides in his performance abilities. He's averaged 14.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. However, one of his biggest stumbling blocks since entering the NBA is defending mobile centers. Kristaps Porziņģis will challenge him on that, averaging 22.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks on 45/35/80 shooting this season.

Looking back at the three games this season that pitted the Pistons against the Celtics, Boston has pulled away for the win by an average of 13.3 points. Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has been a big part of this success, knocking down 22.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. Payton Prichard and Sam Hauser have also performed competitively against Detroit: Pritchard has picked up 21.7 points per game, and Hauser has scored 20 points.

Wednesday's night game will allow the Pistons squad to showcase how far they've come and where they aim to go this season.