Pistons vs. Celtics Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Dec. 12

Can the Pistons keep things close with Boston for the third time this season?

The Pistons may be undervalued as double-digit road underdogs against Boston. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

For the third time this season, the Boston Celtics will take on Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons – this time at TD Garden in Boston.

The C’s have won the first two meetings between these teams by six and 10 points, and they should have benefited from having a few days off this week because of the NBA Cup. 

Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and others have been banged up for Boston, but it hasn’t stopped the defending champs from getting out to a blistering 19-5 start this season.

As for the Pistons, they look better than they did in the 2023-24 season. Detroit comes into this game at 10-15 overall (6-8 on the road) and holds the No. 11 spot in the Eastern Conference.

To the Pistons’ credit, they have hung around with Boston in both meetings this season. Can they do it again as road dogs on Thursday?

Here’s a full breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market, and my best bet for this Eastern Conference battle. 

Pistons vs. Celtics Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Pistons +12.5 (-112)
• Celtics -12.5 (-108)

Moneyline

• Pistons: +575
• Celtics: -850

Total

• 227.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Pistons vs. Celtics How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, Dec. 12
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: TD Garden
• How to Watch (TV): Bally Sports Detroit, NBC Sports Boston
• Pistons record: 10-15
• Celtics record: 19-5

Pistons vs. Celtics Injury Reports

Pistons Injury Report

• Daniss Jenkins – out
• Bobi Klintman – out
• Alondes Williams – out
• Cole Swider – out

Celtics Injury Report

• JD Davison – out
• Sam Hauser – doubtful
• Drew Peterson – out
• Baylor Scheierman – out
• Jaden Springer – questionable
• Jayson Tatum – questionable
• Jordan Walsh – questionable
• Anton Watson – out

Pistons vs. Celtics Best NBA Prop Bets

Detroit Pistons Best NBA Prop Bet

• Cade Cunningham OVER 9.5 Assists (+110)

Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is making a real case to be an All-Star this season, averaging 23.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 9.4 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from 3 in the 2024-25 season.

Tonight, I’m focusing on his assists prop, as he’s set at 9.5 dimes against a Boston team that he dropped 14 dimes against last week. Not only that, but Cade followed that game up with a 15-assist game – and a triple-double – in a win over the New York Knicks on Saturday.

On the season, Cunningham is averaging 15.6 potential assists per game, and he’s picked up at least 10 dimes in eight of his last nine games and 11 of his 14 – averaging 10.6 dimes per game over that 14-game stretch.

Boston Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet

• Kristaps Porzingis OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (+126)

Kristaps Porzingis had arguably his best game of the 2024-25 season against Detroit on Dec. 4, dropping 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting (3-for-7 from 3). 

KP is a tough matchup for any defense given his long-range shooting ability, and he’s taken a ton of 3s so far in limited minutes. Porzingis is averaging 2.4 made 3s on 7.0 attempts per game (34.3 percent), attempting at least five shots from deep in all five of his games this season.

Detroit ranks 23rd in the NBA in opponent 3-pointers made and even worse in opponent 3-point percentage (28th) this season. Don’t be shocked if KP knocks down a bunch of long-range shots tonight. 

Pistons vs. Celtics Prediction and Pick

Boston has won 11 consecutive games against the Pistons, but I think Detroit is a little undervalued in this matchup given how well it has played against Boston this season.

The Pistons have losses by just six and 10 points against the C’s, scoring at least 118 points in both of those games. The Boston defense has taken a bit of a step back this season, ranking 10th in the league in defensive rating after a top-three finish last season. 

Boston also isn’t covering the spread as a home favorite this season, going just 4-9 overall while posting an average margin of victory of just 7.7 points per game. As for Detroit, it is an impressive 6-3-1 against the spread as a road underdog.

As long as Cunningham plays, the Pistons have shown they have a much higher floor this season – as evidenced by their road win over New York in their last time out. 

I’ll take the points with Detroit in this Thursday night matchup. 

Pick: Pistons +12.5 (-112)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.