The Boston Celtics survived a Detroit Pistons comeback in their third win of the season. The Celtics led by as much as 23 and looked like they would cruise to 3-0. But the Pistons gave the defending champions a fight, and the game was back-and-forth down the stretch. Jayson Tatum had another great game, leading the Celtics with 37 points. For the Pistons, Jaden Ivey led the way, scoring 26 points. What looked like another routine Boston Celtics win turned into a dogfight, but Boston prevailed for the 124-118 victory.
A Hot Boston Celtics Start
The Boston Celtics got off to a hot start in the first quarter. Jayson Tatum continued his string of strong first quarters. He dominated with 17 first quarter points, shooting 6-of-9 and 4-of-6 from three. Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard also contributed. Brown had nine points, while Pritchard had 10 off the bench.
However, the Pistons did not allow the Celtics to completely pull away. While the Boston Celtics continued to light it up from three, the Pistons still played a good half of basketball. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Payton Pritchard each had multiple threes, and the Celtics led by as much as 23 in the second quarter. But with a Detroit run, the lead was 11 by halftime. At the end of the high-scoring first half, the Boston Celtics had a 73-62 lead.
A Detroit Pistons Comeback
The Detroit Pistons continued to play hard in the second half, with Cade Cunningham throwing down a posterizing dunk on Derrick White. Cunningham and Ivey continued to play well, and the Pistons cut further into the Celtics’ lead. Detroit went on a run and the Celtics interestingly did not call a timeout. This was an aspect of Joe Mazzulla’s coaching style that Celtics fans disliked early on, and it came out again last night.
The Pistons continued to score, and the crowd grew louder. Suddenly, the Detroit Pistons took their first lead of the night, 88-86. They were dominating in the paint, where they outscored the Celtics 50-22. It was only then when the lead had completely evaporated, that Mazzulla called timeout. The Celtics started to miss and play sloppy, and Detroit took full advantage. Detroit’s trio of Cunningham, Ivey, and Duren attacked a slacking Boston defense and while the Celtics went cold, the Pistons heated up. The Celtics did manage to salvage a bad quarter, taking the lead back 94-93 going into the fourth, but the damage had been done. Now, this was a ballgame.
The Fourth Quarter Finish
Both teams traded baskets through the fourth quarter until Detroit pulled to a 110-106 lead with 7:39 remaining. At this point, the Pistons were shooting 58% from the field. An efficient game from Detroit and low-effort defense from Boston had the Pistons leading with time running down. The bad things continued to pile up for the Boston Celtics when Jayson Tatum got a technical foul. This allowed Detroit to build their lead.
But, after a few scoreless possessions, Jrue Holiday helped Boston even it up. Holiday hit back-to-back threes to tie the game at 112. Then, Jayson Tatum got a bucket in the paint to put the Celtics back up front with two minutes to play. Jaden Ivey returned the favor though, scoring off an offensive rebound. Then, with a minute to go, off a Jrue Holiday steal, Jayson Tatum went to the free throw line. He made them both.
Down two, Detroit needed a bucket. Cade Cunningham drove in for a dunk off a cut, only to be rejected by Derrick White. A bit of payback from the earlier dunk. On the next possession, Jayson Tatum buried a tough mid-range shot to put the Celtics up by four. But the Pistons were not dead yet. Malik Beasley swished an open three to make it a one-point game with 21.6 to play. From then on, both teams played the free throw game. A Cade Cunningham miss followed by Jaylen Brown free throws put Boston up two possessions to seal the 124-118 win.
Final Thoughts
This win was much closer than the Boston Celtics expected. The first half, aside from a Detroit Pistons run, seemed like business as usual. But Detroit took advantage of Boston’s mistakes, and not only made it competitive, but nearly won. This game should teach the NBA two things. One is that the Boston Celtics are not unbeatable. While many like to call them a super team or a dynasty in the making, they are not a team without problems. When they go cold from the perimeter, things can get sloppy and outright ugly quickly.
And, secondly, the Detroit Pistons are no slouch. The trio of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Jalen Duren are a good, foundational core. In this game, Ivey had 26 points, Cunningham had 21 points and 10 assists, and Duren had 15 points with nine rebounds. For Boston, Tatum excelled with 37 points. Jaylen Brown had 24, Horford had 17, and Pritchard had 19. Also, Derrick White had a big second half, ending with 17 points and three blocks. The Boston Celtics move to 3-0, while the Detroit Pistons drop to 0-3.
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