Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 108-105 win over the Pistons at TD Garden on Tuesday night, with BSJ insight and analysis.
Box Score
HEADLINES
Kyrie snaps out of his funk: The All-Star has looked like a shell of himself on the offensive end this regular season in the wake of knee surgery but he finally found his rhythm on Tuesday night. The 26-year-old scored a season-high 31 points on just 16 shots, including 13 points in the third quarter, a frame in which the C's outscored the Pistons by a 25-13 mark. The point guard also added five rebounds and five assists, easily producing the best all-around performance of his season.
Jaylen Brown comes alive in second half: Irving's backcourt mate has struggled shooting the ball mightily over the first two weeks and did so in the first half yet again after producing just three points over the first 24 minutes. He finally found his rhythm after the break, scoring 11 points, including a crucial 3-point shot with just under two minutes remaining that gave the C's a two-possession lead off a dish from Irving. As the Celtics offense starts to round into form with the starters, Brown's contributions are becoming more and more consistent.
TURNING POINT
The Pistons had a chance to tie the game up in the closing seconds after a couple 3-point shots in the final minute made it a one-possession game. However, a huge heads-up play from Marcus Smart prevented the Pistons from getting a chance to even things up after Blake Griffin foolishly led Ish Smith too far with an inbounds pass. Smart deflected the ball and Irving came up with the loose ball, which allowed the Celtics to seal the deal in the closing seconds with free throws.
TWO UP
Aron Baynes: The big man returned from a three-game absence and did not miss a beat, draining a 3-point shot immediately upon entering the game on his way to nine first-half points. Foul trouble slowed him down in the second half but he was a plus-9 in just 12 minutes of action, giving the C's offense some extra energy in his limited minutes. His offensive rating continues to be one of the best marks on the team through the first seven games of the year.
Marcus Morris: The veteran forward is making a living in this section of the game report. He played starter minutes (30) and closed the game out on Tuesday night thanks to another stellar performance off the bench, flirting with a double-double (15 points, 9 rebounds). Morris also raised his 3-point shooting accuracy to 49 percent on the year with 2-of-4 shooting from downtown.
TWO DOWN
3-point shooting: The Celtics had terrific looks all night against Detroit's traditional frontcourt but it did not result in made shots for much of the roster. Boston went 9-of-31 from downtown, including a 2-of-14 mark from the starters not named Irving. The Celtics are shooting just 32.8 percent from downtown this year, which is five percentage points below their elite mark last year.
Officiating: This game was ugly and uneven and the officials' whistles was a big part of that equation. The two teams combined for 48 fouls and 59 foul shots, which led to a significant level of choppy play over the course of the night. Many of the calls were soft and Brad Stevens even earned himself a technical foul for a missed goaltending call in the fourth quarter.
TOP PLAY
10 seconds left, down by 3, Blake Griffin with the routine inbound pass ... ?♂️ #SCNotTop10 pic.twitter.com/GDJwnIueGR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 31, 2018