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.

The Celtics are likely still to make another deal--but which players would other teams most like to get their hands on?

Things don’t get any easier for the Celtics with the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons, in town on Monday night. Detroit had a franchise-record-tying 13-game win streak snapped in its last trip to Boston, when the Celtics prevailed in a nailbiter the day before Thanksgiving.

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,

Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics has had a fantastic start to the 2025-26 NBA season. He is leading the Celtics to a top seed, despite not having their number one scoring option in Jayson Tatum.

Forget tanking. Disregard the "gap year" talk. The Celtics look like genuine contenders in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 42 points, sealing the game with a breakaway dunk in the final seconds Tuesday night as the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks 123-117 in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference semifinal.

The Detroit Pistons continue to shake up history as the top team in the Eastern Conference. Their Monday night matchup against the Boston Celtics concluded with a 112-105 victory. Not only did the Pistons earn their 21st win, but they also secured their first victory in Boston since February 2022.