Before stuffing their faces with turkey, the Boston Celtics look to defend home court against the red-hot Detroit Pistons.
These storied franchises first faced off in 1948. The Celtics own the all-time record against the Pistons, 256–142. Detroit won the last game on October 26.
The Celtics (9-8) have gone 4-1 in their last five games. After splitting a series against the Nets, Boston beat Orlando to go above .500. Jaylen Brown has been the leading scorer in the last four games, scoring 35 last time out.
Detroit (15-2) has not lost a game since October 27. The team matched the winning streaks (13) of the franchise’s 1990 and 2004 NBA Championship teams with a win against the Pacers. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren have stood out for the Pistons.
Who will stand tall in this pre-Thanksgiving showdown? NESN will provide results and highlights from the game.
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Celtics vs. Pistons live score, updates, highlights
End of third quarter: Celtics 86, Pistons 83
7:02 p.m. ET: A big three from White as both teams exchanged leads. Scheierman with his fourth foul. Jaden Ivey tied the game (83-83) following two made free throws. White went to the free throw line and landed three shots. That marked the end of the third.
6:55 p.m. ET: Brown with a deep three and a big rebound. Robinson with a three to cut the Celtics lead to one. Offensive foul for Brown after extending his arm to Robinson, his fourth foul. Meanwhile, Scheierman has three fouls. Minott with a big three. Cunningham with a big three.
6:45 p.m. ET: Brown with points in the paint as it seems he’s found his mojo. The same could be said for White, who shot a three and then stole the ball from Duren. Cunningham hit a three to cut the lead of the Celtics, 72-69.
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6:38 p.m. ET: Walsh with a layup. Pistons missed key shots as the Celtics pummeled them by the glass. Duren has a double-double. Pritchard gave the Celtics the lead with a three. White with his 57th straight game with a three-point FG, tying Isaiah Thomas.
6:33 p.m. ET: The start of the third quarter has begun.
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Halftime: Pistons 58, Celtics 57
6:18 p.m. ET: Scheierman hit a three for the lead, but Thompson hit one at the buzzer to give the Pistons a 58-57 lead at the half. Brown leads in points with 19 but went 6-18 from the field. Cunningham has 17.
6:16 p.m. ET: Brown with a steal and a two, scoring ten, then twelve, this quarter. Caris LeVert with a three, and then Tobias Harris gave the Pistons a lead after making two free throws.
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6:10 p.m. ET: After starting hot, Brown is ice cold. White with a takeaway and Minott with an alley-oop to get a big bucket. Brown finally drained a three (3-12 FG). He was blocked by Thompson before he could regain momentum. Payton Pritchard tied the game with a three.
6:03 p.m. ET: Tied 35-35, there was a three-second violation on Jalen Duren. He recovered with a a free throw, only making the first one, to give the Pistons the lead again. Ausar Thompson made both his free throws to give the Pistons a three-point lead.
5:54 p.m. ET: Baylor Scheierman has ten points off the Boston bench. A 9-0 Boston run was ended via a Cunningham three. Ronald Holland II made two to tie the game, but White made two free throws to give Boston the lead again.
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5:47 p.m. ET: Isaiah Stewart already has three fouls for Detroit. Josh Minott drained a three in the second to tie the game. He gave the Celtics the lead with a free throw.
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End of first quarter: Pistons 30, Celtics 24
5:41 p.m. ET: The Pistons ended the first quarter with a six-point lead. Cunningham has eleven points for the Pistons, Brown with seven.
5:33 p.m. ET: More free throws for Brown, the main provider of the Celtics’ offense. Just as the Celtics made things interesting, Cunningham drained a three and followed it up with a dunk to extend the early lead.
5:26 p.m. ET: White has two fouls in four minutes played. The Celtics have missed several key shots as Joe Mazzulla called the first timeout of the game with about six minutes left in the first quarter.
5:19 p.m. ET: Brown managed to get Robinson to foul to score two more points for the Celtics. He has all four points for the Celtics early on. White with a fantastic block and Jordan Walsh followed it up with a three.
5:17 p.m. ET: After several minutes of action and missed shots, Brown scored the first points for the Celtics via free throws.
5:14 p.m. ET: We are underway in Boston. Pistons got the ball first. Jaylen Brown got fouled. Duncan Robinson scored first with a corner three.
5 p.m. ET: It’s another NBA Cup game for the Celtics. A loss would mean elimination from the tournament.
Pregame
5:49 p.m. ET: Jaylen Brown is the highlight of the Celtics’ lineup.
4:52 p.m. ET: The Pistons lineup is set as the team look for 14 wins in a row.
4:30 pm. ET: Baylor Scheierman is a High School Musical fan.
4:15 p.m. ET: After spraining his ankle on Sunday, Neemias Queta is considered day-to-day. Amari Williams is with the Celtics today.
Joe Mazzulla says Neemias Queta is “a little bit better today” after spraining his left ankle on Sunday. He’ll be assessed day to day.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 26, 2025
4 p.m. ET: It’s an hour before tipoff!
What Channel Is Celtics vs. Pistons on in Boston?
TV Channel: ESPN
Fans can watch the Celtics game on ESPN via the new ESPN app.
Now you can watch ESPN without cable. Stream live NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, college sports, plus SportsCenter, First Take, and all your favorite ESPN shows—anytime, anywhere—only in the new ESPN app.
The game will also be available via Fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.
What Time Does the Celtics vs. Pistons Game Start?
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 26
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Celtics vs. Pistons is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 26. The game will be played at the TD Garden in Boston.
Boston Celtics schedule 2025
Here’s a look at the Celtics’ upcoming schedule for the 2025-26 season:
All times ET
Wed., Nov. 26: vs. Pistons (5 p.m.)
Sat. Nov. 29: at Timberwolves (5 p.m.)
Sun., Nov. 30: at Cavaliers (6 p.m.)
Tues., Dec. 2: vs. Knicks (8 p.m.)
Thurs., Dec. 4: at Wizards (7 p.m.)