As surprising as the Detroit Pistons’ season has been, the most surprising part may be going 17-8 since losing Jaden Ivey on New Year’s Day. The Pistons’ roster has improved compared to recent years, but finding the depth to thrive without Ivey was still unexpected.
The Boston Celtics are still road favorites tonight, but any faith in Detroit stems from one player in particular. My Celtics vs. Pistons predictions bet on Cade Cunningham, as he has picked up the slack since Ivey’s injury.
Find out more in my NBA picks for Wednesday, February 26.
Celtics vs Pistons prediction
My best bet
Cade Cunningham 30+ points (+115 at bet365)
My analysis
Jaden Ivey was a vital piece of the Detroit Pistons offense before breaking his fibula on Jan. 1. He averaged 17.6 points and 2.1 made threes per game while making 40.9% of his attempts from deep. Opponents struggled to focus on any one piece of the Pistons’ offense when Ivey could complement Cade Cunningham.
Losing Ivey has led to only more of an emphasis from Cunningham, and he has been effective with the added workload. His usage rate has reached 34.8% since Ivey’s injury, up from 31.3% in the season’s first two-plus months. Along with that, Cunningham has scored 28.2 points in 24 games since Ivey’s injury, up from 23.8 beforehand.
Most notably, Cunningham’s scoring has reached greater heights.
In the first 29 games of his season, Cunningham cracked 30 points just four times. Now with his field-goal attempts climbing by 2.3 more per game, he has scored 30+ points in 12 of 24 games.
Reaching that mark against the Boston Celtics tonight will obviously be a more difficult task. In the same time span, Boston’s defense rates No. 4 in the NBA.
That said, Cunningham’s points prop is at 27.5, juiced at -125. Asking him to make one more bucket while gaining 40 cents in price is clearly a strong value proposition.
He scored 32 just two nights ago against the No. 2 defensive rating since Jan. 2, the Los Angeles Clippers, so some argument can be mounted that the Celtics’ dominance should not dissuade this bet.
Celtics vs Pistons same-game parlay
Cade Cunningham 30+ points
Jalen Duren Over 2.5 assists
Pistons +4.5
Looking at Detroit’s rotation, Ivey’s absence has not boosted as many players’ production as might have been expected. In terms of usage rate, only Cunningham’s and Jalen Duren’s workloads have ticked upward of players averaging more than 20 minutes per game.
Duren’s playmaking has been a boon, as the starting center has dished out three or more assists in nine of his last 12 games. Trusting Detroit’s offense this thoroughly fits hand-in-hand with betting on the Pistons to cover, especially when they are 12-7 against the spread this season as two-bucket underdogs.
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Celtics vs Pistons odds
Celtics vs Pistons live odds
Celtics vs Pistons opening odds
- Spread: Boston -3.5 | Detroit +3.5
- Moneyline: Boston -165 | Detroit +140
- Over/Under: Over 224.5 | Under 224.5
Odds courtesy of bet365
Celtics vs Pistons spread and Over/Under analysis
- Boston opened as a 3.5-point favorite on Tuesday evening, pondering -4 last night but settling at -3.5.
- Wednesday morning pushed the spread to -4.5, perhaps to some extent public money coming in without properly recognizing Detroit’s improvements this season.
- This total opened at 224.5 and jumped to 226 during the overnight, then ticking upward to 226.5 on Wednesday morning.
Celtics vs Pistons trend
The Pistons are not only 12-7 as two-bucket underdogs this season; they are also 10-9 outright in those spots. Find more NBA betting trends for Celtics vs. Pistons.
How to watch Celtics vs Pistons
| Location | Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan |
| Date | Wednesday, 2-26-2025 |
| Tip-off | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBCSB, FanDuel Sports Network-Detroit |
Celtics vs Pistons latest injuries
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