It wasn’t pretty, but the Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to four games with a 113-109 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night at TD Garden.
All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas scored 24 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
Pistons center Andre Drummond had a big night with 28 points and 22 rebounds, but Detroit was unable to find their stroke from distance, shooting an abysmal 11.1 percent from 3-point land.
The Celtics improve to 30-18 with the victory, while the Pistons fall to 21-27.
Here’s how it all went down.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Jaylen Brown, Jae Crowder, Jonas Jerebko, Al Horford.
SLOPPY FIRST
The C’s couldn’t get much going on the offensive end in the first quarter, as they turned the ball over four times and shot a lowly 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. Crowder kept the Celtics afloat early in the period with nine points, and Horford returned from his two-game absence with a vicious dunk.
The Celtics, however, only led by one after the first frame as the Pistons got six points apiece from Tobias Harris, Reggie Jackson and Drummond.
PISTONS TAKE THE LEAD
The C’s took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter but were unable to distance themselves from the Pistons despite Detriot’s inability to connect from long distance. Detroit would go on a 12-3 run to tie the game, thanks to a personal 5-0 run from forward Marcus Morris.
After not being able to hit a 3-pointer for the majority of the game, Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit back-to-back triples to give the Pistons a three-point cushion with just over four minutes to play.
“THE KING IN THE FOURTH” STRIKES
With the C’s in danger of suffering an ugly loss, Thomas lived up to his “King of the Fourth” nickname as he’s done time and time again this season. IT scored 11 points in a 2:34 span to help the C’s retake the lead. Thomas hit a pull-up jumper in the lane, and then came right back with a huge 3-pointer to swell the lead to four.
The Pistons, however, refused to go away as it remained a one-possession game with under a minute to play. The C’s were able to get the defense stop they needed when Horford blocked Jackson’s layup attempt to tie the game with 20 seconds left. Thomas would sink four free throws to ice the game, giving him 24 points for the period.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Smart is preparing for Super Bowl Sunday.
UP NEXT
The Celtics continue their four-game homestand against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
