The Eastern Conference Finals move back to Detroit with the Pistons locked in a must-win situation, down 3-2 in this best-of-seven series. Detroit and Boston have alternated straight up victories the first five games of this series, while the Pistons have covered the previous two encounters against the spread.

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Detroit has advanced to the conference finals six consecutive years, but has advanced to the NBA Finals just twice. This marks the fourth season in a row that the Pistons have found themselves down 3-2 in the conference finals. Detroit ended up losing in six games to both Miami (2006) and Cleveland (2007), while eventually rebounding to topple Miami in seven games during the 2005 campaign.

If things weren’t tough enough for the Pistons, guard Richard Hamilton is ‘questionable’ for Game 6 due to an elbow injury he suffered in the final seconds of Wednesday’s Game 5 setback. X-rays were negative for the eight-year veteran. Detroit is trying to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since falling to San Antonio in 2004-05, while Boston can punch its first ticket to the NBA Finals since losing to the Los Angeles Lakers back in 1986-87.

The Las Vegas Hilton currently lists Detroit as a 5 ½-point Game 6 home ‘chalk’ over Boston, with the total set at 175 ½. The line has remained constant since opening, while the total was originally listed at 176. ESPN will provide coverage of Friday’s contest beginning at 8:35 p.m. ET.

Boston (77-24 SU, 58-40 ATS) took Wednesday’s Game 5 as a six-point home favorite, 106-102. The combined 208 points soared ‘over’ the 173 ½-point closing total, ending back-to-back ‘under’ outings in this series. The Pistons pulled to within a point with a minute remaining before Ray Allen connected on a jumper to hold onto the victory.

Allen struggled through the first four games of this series, averaging 14.8 points per game by shooting just 38 percent from the field. The UConn product was also struggling behind the arc by connecting on 3-of-14 shots. However, Allen reversed that in Wednesday’s triumph by scoring 29 points on 60-percent shooting including 5-of-6 from 3-point land. That marked his playoff high for points in an 11-year career.

The Celtics held on for the victory despite being outscored by Detroit in the fourth quarter, 31-22. Boston jumped out to a six-point halftime advantage after outscoring the Pistons in the second quarter (29-23), and by seven points (32-25) in the third quarter.

The Celtics prevailed by dominating the boards (42-25), while shooting a blistering 51 percent (37-of-73) from the field that included 53 percent (8-of-15) from behind the arc. Boston only got three points from its bench, but forward Kevin Garnett led all scorers with 33 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Center Kendrick Perkins stepped up with 18 points and 16 rebounds, while point guard Rajon Rondo added seven and 13 assists.

Detroit (69-29 SU, 56-41 ATS) kept Game 5 close by getting 26 points and six assists from point guard Chauncey Billups. Hamilton added 25 and six, while forward Rasheed Wallace contributed 18 and four rebounds. Shooting guard Rodney Stuckey accounted for 13 points off the bench in a losing cause.

Wallace picked up a technical foul late in Game 5, his sixth of the postseason. Under NBA rules, the volatile player will receive a one-game suspension his next technical foul. Wallace was also fined $25,000 by the league Thursday for criticizing officials after the game.

The Pistons are a robust 40-9 SU and 31-18 ATS on their home court, with the ‘under’ going 28-19. Detroit has been winning its games at The Palace of Auburn Hills by an average score of 99-88. Meanwhile, the Pistons are a pedestrian 29-20 SU and 25-23 ATS on the road.

Boston owns a 31-17 SU and 27-20 ATS road record, winning those affairs by an average score of 98-93. The Celtics did capture Game 3 of this series as a five-point road underdog, 94-80, marking its first road postseason victory of the year. Boston failed to win a road playoff game in its first-round series against Atlanta or its second-round series with Cleveland.

Boston backup guard Tony Allen will probably miss the rest of the series due to an Achilles injury.

Brad Young can be reached at byoung@vegasinsider.com.