The Boston Celtics bounced back to beat the Detroit Pistons on Monday, coming away from Little Caesars Arena with a 111-99 victory.
The C’s improved their league-best record to 38-16, while the Pistons dropped to 14-41.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics entered this game without Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, which forced them to fall back into a very simple brand of basketball.
Their replacements in the starting lineup, Derrick White and Sam Hauser, took advantage of the simplified offense and ran away with their best performances of the season.
White was allowed to run the offense through Jayson Tatum, opening up playmaking opportunities both with and without the ball. The 28-year-old capitalized on a number of cuts and picked up a few assists by making the extra pass. With Tatum off the floor, it was White’s show to run.
Hauser made the first start of his NBA career and did exactly what everyone expected him to do: take a bunch of threes. He made most of them as well, cashing in on five of his nine attempts.
The Pistons made a late push, capitalizing on the Celtics’ simplified approach. Unfortunately for Detroit, it would be too little, too late.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Tatum took over to seal this victory, scoring 18 of his 34 points in the third quarter. He also had 11 rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block.
— White was the C’s second-leading scorer, dropping 23 points while dishing out seven assists and grabbing seven rebounds.
— Robert Williams III dropped a casual double-double, scoring 15 points on nine shots while grabbing 15 boards. He also picked up his requisite steal and block.
WAGER WATCH
Alec Burks opened up the scoring to give Detroit a quick lead. His pullup jumper was costly for DraftKings Sportsbook, who gave him +1000 odds to get things started. A $100 bet on the veteran guard netted a payout of $1,100.
UP NEXT
The Celtics return to TD Garden on Wednesday night to take on the Philadelphia 76ers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
