Celtics Wrap: Boston Fights Off Pistons’ Late Rally In 91-81 Victory

It wasn’t pretty, but the Boston Celtics exacted sweet revenge over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon.

The Celtics suffered their fourth loss of the season at the hands of the Pistons on Nov. 27, but Boston made sure history didn’t repeat itself when the season series shifted to Little Caesars Arena. The C’s grabbed their first lead of the game less than four minutes into the first quarter, and they never looked back in a 91-81 victory.

Boston’s offense wasn’t particularly strong in the first game of a back-to-back, but the team’s stars carried the load. Al Horford recorded a team-high 18 points to go along with nine rebounds and six assists, while Kyrie Irving wasn’t far behind with 16 points. Jaylen Brown (12 points), Marcus Smart (12 points) and Jayson Tatum (11 points) also scored in double figures for Boston.

Detroit hung tough throughout the game, but a dreadful 33 percent shooting mark proved to be the difference.

With the win, the Celtics improved to 23-5, while the Pistons fell to 14-12.

Here’s hot it all went down:

STARTING FIVE
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Aron Baynes

HOT START FOR C’S STARS
The Celtics jumped out to a 29-21 lead after one quarter of play thanks in large part to their star players. Horford paced all scorers with eight points in the frame on 4-of-4 shooting, while Irving wasn’t far behind with seven of his own, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Pistons, meanwhile, struggled on the offensive end early on. Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris notched Detroit’s first-quarter high with five points apiece, but the home club collectively shot an underwhelming 38 percent in the first 12 minutes.

SECOND-QUARTER STRUGGLES
Neither team was particularly strong in the first quarter, but the second frame was even worse. The C’s and Pistons combined to score only 31 points in the second stanza, with Boston taking a 44-37 lead into the break. The Celtics had a chance to get out to a comfortable lead with the Pistons struggling, but the green’s offense endured a pitiful seven-minute scoreless stretch in the second quarter. Irving (11 points) and Bradley (12 points) were the only players to score in double figures in the first half.

BACK AND FORTH
The offense picked up in the third quarter, which ended with the Celtics taking a 73-59 advantage into the final frame. After being held to a very quiet first half, Brown came alive in the third with seven points in the quarter, while Irving chipped in five.  Detroit didn’t log its first points of the third until the 6:56 mark, but the Pistons finished the quarter strong thanks to eight points from Harris.

LUCK OF THE IRISH
Boston typically has played its best basketball in the fourth quarter this season, but that certainly wasn’t the case Sunday night. Luckily for the C’s, the Pistons couldn’t fully capitalize on the opportunity. The Celtics endured another seven-minute scoreless stretch, which allowed Detroit to go on a 12-0 run and get within four. Brown snapped the rut with a layup at the 3:29 mark, and Horford nailed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to push the Celtics’ lead back to seven. The Pistons kept the pressure on until the final whistle, but the Celtics never wavered and held on for the win.

PLAY OF THE GAME
Terry Rozier beats the third-quarter buzzer.

UP NEXT
The C’s play the second game of a back-to-back Monday night in Chicago against the Bulls. Tip-off from United Center is set for 8 p.m. ET.