DETROIT — There was nothing pretty about Monday night’s game in Detroit. Walking in, the Boston Celtics were fresh off a beatdown of the Atlanta Hawks. But they were walking into a viper’s pit. The Detroit Pistons had won five of their last six before Monday, and the Celtics were 1-2 on the season in the matchup.
From the jump, this game was only heading in one direction: Ugly.
Fouls, fouls, and more fouls highlighted the first half. Detroit couldn’t score in the half-court, but they were dominating Boston in transition. Meanwhile, the Celtics’ bigs created some great space for the ball-handlers, but they couldn’t stay out of foul trouble long enough to do it consistently.
Luka Garza picked up four fouls in just 3:15 of game time. Neemias Queta had two, but he couldn’t play the entire first half, or he’d pick up more.
That meant Xavier Tillman saw the floor in the first half for the first time since November. And by the time the first half was wrapping up, Baylor Scheierman was getting center minutes.
Baylor Scheierman.
Outside of Jaylen Brown, the newly-named East All-Star starter, Boston's offense couldn't get off the ground through the first two quarters.
Sam Hauser dug the Celtics out of a hole in the third. Ausar Thompson and other Detroit defenders were tagging rollers and sending some extra pressure at the ball, so Hauser made them pay. He roamed the three-point line, searching for shots, draining four triples by the time the final frame began.
Payton Pritchard enjoyed a strong close to the third, but Duncan Robinson and Jaden Ivey threes haunted Boston in the fourth. That, combined with turnover issues that carried over from the first half, put them in a precarious position.
But Boston didn't bow out of the fight. Garza's work on the offensive glass provided a boost, as did Queta's relentless approach down low.
The end of the game was All-Star vs. All-Star. Cunningham vs. Brown. Drives and kicks vs. drives and kicks.
Brown attacked Robinson on one end and guarded Cunningham on the other. It was a true two-way showing, even though an off-ball mishap cost Boston a Harris three late in the game.
When the final bell sounded, it all came down to one final possession.
The ball was in Brown's hand. He drove to the right side of the floor and got up a fadeaway jumper over Harris.
No good.
A tough loss for the Celtics, who fell to 5.5 games behind the Pistons for the top seed in the East.
Detroit's ability to control the glass and make plays down the stretch ultimately earned them a tick in the win column on Saturday night. Small mistakes and missteps by Boston eventually piled up, and it cost them.
Big winner: Screening. Boston’s screens were everything on Monday night. Without the space Queta (and others) created, their entire offense would have been doomed against the Pistons’ size.
Instead, the Celtics found gaps, drew help, and were able to make enough threes to stay in the game. It also helped Brown and Pritchard find gaps in the mid-range to work.
Ouch, tough one: Transition. Detroit absolutely feasted on the run in this game. If the Celtics turned the ball over, they were running. If the Celtics missed a shot, they were running. Even when the Celtics made a shot, they were sprinting down the court, and Boston struggled to get back in time.
The Pistons weren't very effective in the half-court for most of this game. Outside of Tobias Harris' turnaround mid-range jumpers, they weren't getting much consistent production. But they made up for that with their willingness to run. That's where Boston lost a lot of ground.
The big picture: This was a big game. Objectively speaking. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the Eastern Conference duking it out for the final time in the regular season. Perhaps they'll square off again in the postseason, but even if they don't, at the time the game was played, it was the ultimate test of talent in the East.
Boston did what they've done all season: Played a close game against one of the best teams in the league. Even when they lose, they fight. They fought against the San Antonio Spurs. They fought against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They've consistently fought against the New York Knicks. They've fought against the Pistons in every game they've played against them this year. That's what good teams do.
After the massive blowout in Atlanta on Saturday, this was a perfect reminder of the Celtics' ability to compete against tough competition, regardless of the result.
