It’s basketball action all day long to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the NBA on NBC, where no fewer than four pro hoops matchups are playing back-to-back-to-back-to-back in a giant January 19 quadrupleheader slate of games on NBC and Peacock.
How to Watch
Watch NBA on NBC on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
NBC Sports might just be saving the best matchup of the day for last — an Eastern Conference showdown between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. As the NBA All-Star game approaches (airing live on NBC and Peacock!), both Boston and Detroit look right in the thick of the postseason playoff chase, with each aiming to stay at or near the top of their respective division standings.
How can you catch the NBA action as the Celtics and Pistons prepare for what could be an epic face-off? Keep on scrolling for details!
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How can you watch the Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons game during the NBA on NBC’s MLK Day quadrupleheader?
The Boston Celtics take a Midwest trip to Michigan to face the Detroit Pistons on Monday, January 19. Tipoff time is set for 8 p.m. ET from the Pistons’ home court at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, with the game broadcast live on NBC and streaming in simulcast on Peacock.
The Celtics and Pistons play each other four times throughout the 2025-2026 NBA regular season, and as fate would have it, Monday’s matchup marks their fourth and final meeting. The Pistons hold a current 2-1 lead over the Celtics in the season series, losing only in a November 26 Thanksgiving-week road game that Boston won 117-114.
Playing it close has been the defining feature of these two teams’ regular-season series, where every game so far has been decided by no more than seven points. Both squads have remained relatively healthy while the regular-season grind takes its injury toll across the league, though star Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham has been nursing a right wrist contusion and could be a game-time decision. The Celtics, meanwhile, have found a winning formula behind top scorer Jaylen Brown, overcoming lengthy injury absences that have sidelined stars Jayson Tatum and Josh Minott for the foreseeable future.
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How to watch the MLK Day quadrupleheader on the NBA on NBC
The Celtics vs. Pistons game is just one of four January 19 NBA contests lighting up NBC and Peacock as part of the NBA on NBC’s super-sized quadrupleheader slate of MLK Day pro hoops matchups. Check out Monday’s full four-game NBA schedule below:
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks — 1 p.m. ET (Peacock streaming exclusive) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Cleveland Cavaliers — 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC and Peacock)Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks — 5 p.m. ET (NBC and Peacock) Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons — 8 p.m. ET (NBC and Peacock)