Final: Pistons 118, Celtics 108

GAME: No. 22 of 82
WHO: Celtics (18-3) vs. Pistons (12-6)
WHEN:  7:30 EST
WHERE:  TD Garden
RADIO: 98.5 the Sports Hub
TV: NBC Sports Boston
BOX SCORE: NBA.COM

Starting Lineups:

Celtics
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Marcus Morris
C: Al Horford

Pistons
PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Stanley Johnson
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Andre Drummond

THIRD QUARTER THOUGHTS

• Harris continues to be a one man wrecking crew for the Pistons. He's got a game-high 25 points through three quarter, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range before his first miss from deep late in the frame. He's been doing a lot of his damage in transition.


• C's once again came out of their starting five quickly after a slow defensive start to the half. Marcus Smart got the call for Jaylen Brown just a few minutes in.


• C's offense has been a problem most of the season, but it's what has kept them in this game through another high scoring frame. The hosts have been hovering around over 50 percent for the quarter and have been even better from downtown, going 12-of-21 from deep over the first 33 minutes of the game.


• Some ill advised shots by Brown early in the quarter. Smart on the other hand has been electric since missing his first two shots of the night. He's gone 4-of-5 since then, including three makes from beyond the arc, continuing his hot shooting from Saturday night.

• Celtics came out with plenty of energy with a second unit of Smart/Rozier/Ojeleye/Theis sharing the floor with Kyrie Irving. The group hounded the Pistons' bench with their defensive energy and Irving helped find plenty of easy looks for himself and his teammates, producing a 10-2 run to tie the game in first three minutes of frame.


• Some of Semi Ojeleye's best minutes in a Celtics uniform thus far on the defensive end. He's been skying for rebounds, handling Pistons of all sizes in cross matchups and grabbed a steal too.


• Wise minutes management by Brad Stevens to maximize the amount of time that Irving is on the floor with Bradley resting. He got an early rest in first quarter and came right back in when Bradley hit the bench.


• Marcus Morris getting a little too aggressive with his midrange shots against his former team.


• A really impressive part about the C's performance all year has been their efficiency with comebacks. They close deficits in mere minutes as was the case with their eight-point deficit at the start of the quarter.


• Game turned into a nice little shootout in the last few minutes of the quarter as both teams showcased some great ball movement and offensive flow. C's are going to have to figure out an answer for Tobias Harris (15 points) in the second half.

• Nice video tribute by the Celtics for Avery Bradley during pregame introductions. A 45 second video followed by a lengthy standing ovation by the Garden crowd. Tasteful but not overdone.


• Bradley was up to his old tricks in a Piston uniform this time around, coming out of the gate quickly in the first quarter with six points on 3-of-4 shooting. He also played some tenacious defense on Kyrie Irving, forcing him into a couple early turnovers.


• Irving took a shot to the face on an Andre Drummond pick early in the quarter, but remained in the game. He really got going when the Pistons subbed out Bradley and finished with eight first quarter points.


• The Pistons were getting pretty much whatever they wanted in the first quarter offensively (58 percent shooting) by strategically forcing a lot of mismatches on switches and attacking the basket well. The C's small ball starting five did not fare well against Andre Drummond either, who grabbed 10 rebounds in 10 minutes.

• Avery Bradley was all smiles before the game in the Pistons locker room in his first game back at the TD Garden as a visitor. 'I wouldn't say it’s weird," he explained. "It’s just a great feeling to be back in the city of Boston, period. Just excited about the game tonight to have a chance to play again in front of the fans. It’s going to be a fun experience for me."


• Stan Van Gundy had only positive words about a pair of former Pistons that are now suiting up for the C's in Marcus Morris and Aron Baynes: "Marcus and Aron both, I mean, two of my favorite guys, really tough unselfish team-oriented guys," Van Gundy said. "You couldn’t ask for more. Especially when I look back a few years down the road, and you’re looking back and saying ‘Who is your favorite group of guys you’ve coached?’ Those two guys will be in that group.”


• The Celtics have won eight consecutive home games overall and 18 of 19. Van Gundy on the Celtics' strong start: "I called them the best team in the NBA because they have the best record in the NBA and that's what matters in this league. They are the No. 1 defense in the league by a pretty good margin. That's been the most impressive thing. They obviously have a lot of offensive talent, but the fact they brought so many new guys together and got them to defend as well as they have this early in the year is impressive."