The Boston Celtics (18-4) took control from start to finish and secured a 130-120 victory over the Detroit Pistons (9-15) on December 5. The win marked their sixth straight at home and their eleventh straight against the Pistons.
It was a collective effort for Boston with Jayson Tatum sidelined due to a knee injury. Jaylen Brown led the way with 28 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals. Kristaps Porzingis had 26 points and 9 rebounds. Derrick White tallied 14 points and 11 assists. Payton Pritchard dropped 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while Sam Hauser added 20.
Cade Cunningham delivered a phenomenal performance, almost pulling off a massive triple-double with 27 points, 14 assists, and 9 rebounds. Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley did their best to keep the Pistons in the game, scoring 27 and 23 points, respectively.
The Celtics Started Strong and Never Looked Back
Boston came out scorching from beyond the arc, drilling 6-of-8 three-pointers to seize a commanding (26-7) lead. Then Brown took the reins, scoring 16 points to keep the Celtics in control. Boston cruised through the second, building a lead as large as 19 but the Pistons stayed in the game with their bench showing up.
Boston kept the three-pointers raining down in the third, building a (78-60) lead. Harris ignited a fightback, cutting the lead down to 10 but Hauser answered with a scoring explosion, putting the Celtics back up by 15. The Celtics looked to put the game away with Pritchard hitting back-to-back three-pointers to open the fourth. But Detroit exploded with four-straight threes to pull within single digits. Cunningham narrowed it to 4 but Brown and Porzingis made big shots to secure the win.
The Celtics prepare for a showdown against the Bucks on Saturday while the Pistons face the Knicks on Sunday.
