The Celtics will close out their three-game road stint in Detroit on Wednesday night, as they head to The Palace of Auburn Hills with the hopes of extending their win streak to two against the Pistons.
This matchup marks the first meeting between the two teams since the infamous "cancer patient" spat between Kevin Garnett and Charlie Villanueva. Garnett said he wasn't going to focus on the past when matching up with Villanueva, but one can bet all eyes will be on their low-post battles on Wednesday night.
The C's will be without Rajon Rondo for the sixth consecutive game, so Nate Robinson will likely get the start in his place. Robinson received six stitches over his eye after he butted heads with Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy in the third quarter on Tuesday night, but he should be good to go against the Pistons.
The Celtics got a last-minute break heading into the tipoff on Wednesday night. Point guard Rodney Stuckey will sit out with the flu, and Tracy McGrady will start in his place. Stuckey leads the team in points with 16.3 per game, and would have posed as a difficult matchup for Robinson. McGrady is averaging 3.2 points this season.
Here's how the starting lineups are looking for Wednesday night in Detroit.
Celtics
Nate Robinson, PG
Ray Allen, SG
Paul Pierce, SF
Kevin Garnett, PF
Shaquille O'Neal, C
Pistons
Tracy McGrady, PG
Ben Gordon, SG
Tayshaun Prince, SF
Charlie Villanueva, PF
Ben Wallace, C
