Our pick
Detroit Pistons to win
Close · 53%
Tue 20 Oct 2026, 3:00pm ET (21:00 SAST) · Detroit, Michigan · NBC and Peacock
Who will win Pistons vs Celtics?
We are backing the Detroit Pistons. The pre-season model makes them a 53% favourite, which puts this pick in our Close band. At 53% it is the narrowest of our three opening-night picks, a genuine coin flip with a home lean.
Game facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Game | Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons |
| Date and tip-off | Tue 20 Oct 2026, 3:00pm ET (21:00 SAST) |
| Venue | Detroit, Michigan |
| TV | NBC and Peacock, part of the NBA Tip-Off opening night tripleheader |
| How their 2025-26 season ended | Boston Celtics: No. 2 seed in the East, beaten 4-3 by Philadelphia in the first round Detroit Pistons: No. 1 seed in the East, beaten 4-3 by Cleveland in the conference semi-finals |
Win probability
| Team | Win probability |
|---|---|
| Detroit Pistons | 53% |
| Boston Celtics | 47% |
Why we are backing the Detroit Pistons
- Detroit finished 2025-26 as the top seed in the East and went seven games in both of their playoff series.
- Boston were the East No. 2 seed but went out in the first round, beaten 4-3 by Philadelphia.
- The only edge the model finds is home court, which is why this sits in our Close band.
- Opening-night games carry extra uncertainty because nobody has played a meaningful minute yet.
How we got the number
Our confidence figure for NBA games is the Sportradar pre-season win probability for the side we back, rounded to a whole number. Rosters change over the summer and we do not adjust the number for moves we have not verified. Bands: Strong 70% and above, Good 55 to 69%, Close under 55%.
How this pick is graded
Graded on the final score including overtime. If the game is postponed the pick is voided. This is the first NBA season we have published picks for, so the basketball column of our record starts at zero and every result will be shown.
Our record so far
Every pick on this site is graded in public after the event, losses included. At the time of writing our football record stands at 97 wins and 70 losses (58%) across 167 graded picks since 4 Aug 2026, and you can check every one of them on the results log on our homepage.
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