Detroit Pistons Secure a Huge Win Over the Boston Celtics
If you thought the Boston Celtics were going to just cruise through December, Monday night was a rude awakening. In a game that felt like a microcosm of “you win some, you lose some,” the Celtics fell to the Detroit Pistons, 112-105, right on their own parquet floor. And honestly? It was a tough watch for the home crowd.
Less than a month ago, the Celtics snapped the Pistons’ impressive 13-game winning streak. Naturally, the Pistons took that personally. They rolled into TD Garden looking for vengeance, and thanks to a monster night from Cade Cunningham, they got it.
The Celtics’ Shooting Goes Ice Cold
Let’s address the elephant in the room: the shooting. Or rather, the lack thereof. You live by the three, you die by the three, right? Well, the Celtics were definitely on life support from beyond the arc.
After starting the second half of their previous game against Milwaukee by missing 16 straight threes, Boston decided to keep that chilly momentum going. They shot a dismal 10-for-39 overall from deep. The second and third quarters were particularly brutal, with the team combining to hit just one of 18 attempts. You can’t win in today’s NBA with numbers like that, especially when the other guy, Cade Cunningham, is draining step-back jumpers like he’s playing in an empty gym.
Bright Spots In a Frustrating Loss
It wasn’t all doom and gloom, though. Jaylen Brown did his absolute best to drag the Celtics across the finish line. He put up a valiant 34 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists. The man was working overtime. Derrick White also tried to play hero in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of his 31 points in the final frame to keep things interesting.
There was a moment late in the game where hope flickered. White hit a runner, Cunningham fouled out, and the lead was cut to three. The Garden got loud. You could feel the “we’re going to steal this” energy. But just as quickly as it arrived, former Celtic Javonte Green snatched it away with a dagger three and a thunderous dunk that sucked the air right out of the building.
Missed Opportunities Down the Stretch
The closing minutes were a comedy of errors for Boston. Trailing by five with under a minute to go, Payton Pritchard, usually reliable in the clutch, launched a three from the top of the key that didn’t even graze the rim. Airball. That pretty much summed up the night.
It’s one of those games you just have to flush. The Pistons are the top team in the East for a reason right now, and they played like it. For the Celtics, it is back to the drawing board to figure out how to get the lid off the basket before the Heat come to town.
