The Boston Celtics are sitting third in the Eastern Conference, a position few expected entering a season widely viewed as their bridge year.That strong start has begun to clarify how the front office may approach the NBA Trade Deadline.

The Detroit Pistons, first in the East, visit the Boston Celtics, third in the East, in a game streamed nationally on Peacock. Here's our prediction.

Before the Boston Celtics fell to a 101-116 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, Dec. 11, they had been on a five-game winning streak. Since Joe Mazzulla began running a small-ball rotation with the second unit, Boston has been a much-improved team and has started to prove its doubters wrong.

"I've got to be better. I wasn't good enough for my team."

The Detroit Pistons face the Boston Celtics in a regular season NBA game on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 at TD Garden in Boston, Mass.

After all, the Celtics are in the early stages of a retooling process. Joe Mazzulla is coaching a roster full of unproven talent, fighting to prove they belong in the league. Interestingly, all three of Boston's young forwards,

Following his first three-game losing streak in two years, Jaylen Brown reiterated a belief he had stated several times before. This was in late October, after a frustrating road loss to the Detroit Pistons. At 0-3, Brown and the Boston Celtics were in an unfamiliar situation. He still wanted to give his young team time.

The Pistons are 5-1 in their last six games, including wins over the Hawks and Heat, and they’re 8-3 on their travels this year. One of those losses came in a nail-biter at TD Garden in November, where Cade Cunningham & Co. almost overcame Boston's 47% night from 3-point range.

The Boston Celtics shot 60% in the first quarter and opened up a 33-25 lead after the opening 12 minutes.

The Celtics have turned from potential sellers to buyers and perhaps the player most likely to be traded, Anfernee Simons and his expiring contract, could either be dangled to acquire a quality center or retained because of his production off the bench.