Everything you need to know about the Pistons' 116-103 win over the Celtics with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Celtics deliver embarrassing defensive performance against Pistons: The Celtics didn’t show up with any defensive intensity on Wednesday night and the Pistons made them pay dearly for it. Four different visitors scored 20 points including a pair of rookies as Detroit ran away with a 116-103 victory over a Jayson Tatum-less C’s squad at the TD Garden.
Sekou Doumbouya had a team-high 24 points while Markieff Morris posted 23 points off the bench and Derrick Rose added 22 points for the Pistons who shot a scorching hot 60.5 percent from the field, the highest percentage allowed by the Celtics this season.
Gordon Hayward had a game-high 25 points while Jaylen Brown added 24 points but it wasn’t enough for a Celtics offense to keep pace with the Pistons firepower in the second half (outscored Boston 59-44). The biggest issue of the night was the defense as the starters failed to get stops all night long until the game was out of reach in the fourth quarter. Detroit was down three starters themselves but looked unstoppable against a disinterested C’s defense. Boston now heads to Milwaukee to try to take down the NBA’s best team on the second half of a back-to-back.
TURNING POINT
The Pistons broke open a tight game midway through the third quarter with a 15-2 run to take the lead away from the Celtics and build a nine-point edge. The hosts failed to get closer than three points the rest of the way as Detroit’s hot shooting provided no room for error.
TWO UP
Jaylen Brown: The swingman posted his sixth double-double of the season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a single game. No other Celtics player has more than three such games. His 12 rebounds also tied a season-high.
Gordon Hayward: It was one of the best shooting nights for Hayward in a Celtics uniform as he was 11-of-15 from the field on his way to a team-high 25 points, routinely punishing the Detroit bigs in switches during the first three quarters.
TWO DOWN
Marcus Smart: Without Tatum in the fold, Smart was back in the starting five and tried to do a bit too much offensively. He missed eight of his nine shots before getting ejected after 34 minutes. He was a team-worst -18.
Kemba Walker: He couldn’t stay in front of Derrick Rose on the defensive end and he failed to keep up with the point guard as well, going just 7-of-19 from the field including an ugly 2-of-11 from 3-point range.
INJURY REPORT
Jaylen Brown suffered a right thumb strain that he was getting wrapped after the game following a collision with Markieff Morris. His availability for Thursday’s game against the Bucks is uncertain at this point.
TOP PLAY
JB!!!
⭐️ https://t.co/bpLxUrXFhj ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/ogrWj1i1g0
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 16, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Derrick Rose is going to be an intriguing trade target for someone: These Pistons are in the midst of a lost season with all their injuries and youth but Rose looked like he turned back the clock in this one. He controlled the pick-and-roll game, going 11-of-11 from inside the arc on a mix of floaters and layups against an overmatched Celtics defense. His injury history is certainly a concern along with his defense but it’s evident for the past couple of seasons now that Rose is back to being a difference-maker on the offensive end of the floor. Brad Stevens called him the best player on the floor Wednesday night and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. Given his modest salary over the next two years ($7.5 million on average for this season and next), he is going to be a big boost for a second unit in the postseason. The Pistons should sell on him now and while the fit isn’t great in Boston (bench shooting is a bigger need), he certainly would be a sizable offensive upgrade from Brad Wanamaker and Smart off the bench.
The home magic appears to be gone for Celtics: After opening the season 10-0 at the Garden, the Celtics have now dropped four of their last 10 on their home floor. Three of those losses have come by double digits. For a team that was known for being in every game during the first 30 contests of the year, there have been concerning trends forming in the past month when it comes to playing intensity. The Pistons had a historic night shooting the ball and they’ve been the 19th ranked offense in the NBA this season. The schedule has been tough this month but the C’s are looking more vulnerable now on any given night, especially on the defensive end at times. Given how close the race is going to be in the East for seeding, they just can’t afford to give games like this away to inferior opponents and it’s happened a couple of times in the past week now with San Antonio and Detroit.