Celtics Enter Thursday's Game Insisting They're Not Distracted by Pistons' Losing Streak

The Celtics try to extend their unbeaten streak at TD Garden against a Pistons team that's lost 27 straight games.

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Pistons enter Thursday's tilt at TD Garden on a 27-game losing streak. That's the most in an NBA season.

Conversely, the Boston Celtics are an unblemished 14-0 on their parquet in the 2023-24 campaign. They also boast a 23-6 record, the best in the league, while their visitors, who are 2-28, dwell at the bottom of the standings.

But that pressure can prove freeing for Detroit and be a distraction felt more by the opposition, trying not to be the team the Pistons snap their skid against.

At Thursday morning's shoot around, 16-year veteran Al Horford conveyed, "No question, this is an important game for us," adding, "This is all we can focus on, and I think that's been our mindset all year. Whichever game it is at the moment, that's what we're looking into."

Celtics' head coach, Joe Mazzulla, also emphasized the importance of focusing on the matchup in front of them.

"The expectation of it's supposed to go a certain way, it's supposed to be easy; that's just not the case," expressed Boston's bench boss. "Just play the game. It's another game, regardless of the other team's record. And I think sometimes you get caught up in, 'because it's this team, we should be up by this amount after the first quarter (or at) halftime, and that's not how it works. It's an NBA game. They're NBA players. They're healthy, they're playing really hard, and they've been in a lot of games. So, (we) have to have the same mindset we've been playing with over this good stretch of basketball."

After paying the price for looking ahead to the playoffs last regular season, something that allowed poor habits to persist, the Celtics have embraced a "win the day" mentality that's helped fuel their hot start. That'll get uniquely put to the test in Thursday's game against the Pistons.

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