BSJ Game Report: Boston Celtics 114, Detroit Pistons 103 - Celtics defense comes to life in 4th to dismiss Detroit

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics win over the Detroit Pistons with BSJ insight and analysis. 

IN A NUTSHELL 

This was a battle for three quarters, with the Celtics unable to stop much of what Detroit was doing and vice versa. Cade Cunningham and Jayson Tatum went toe-to-toe for much of the game, and Detroit put up 90 on Boston’s vaunted defense through three quarters. But the Celtics clamped down in the fourth and didn’t allow a Detroit field goal until there were 30 seconds left in the game.

Box Score

HEADLINES

What a fourth quarter: I simply cannot stress how ridiculous this turnaround was. I’ll have to dive more into it separately, because I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such a whiplash-inducing turnaround in a quarter like that. It was 90-88 Detroit with 58.9 seconds left in the third quarter. Detroit then went 0-15 over the next 12:36. Boston outscored them 22-13 in the fourth quarter.

Jayson Tatum, again: After dropping 54 and 44, a 31 point, 8 rebound, 6 assist game seems sort of ho-hum. He did all his damage in the paint again, getting to the rim at will. 

TURNING POINT

The Celtics had just given up a Cunningham 3-pointer to make it 90-88 late in the third quarter. Ime Udoka called a timeout and lit into his team, a move he’s becoming known for. The Celtics then went on a 20-5 run, opening the fourth quarter with three steals and slamming the door on a pesky Pistons team. 

FOUR UP 

Jayson Tatum: One thing that stands out about Tatum is how much better he’s controlling the ball. Only1 turnover in this game, and 2 or fewer in six of eight games since the All-Star break. He occasionally has a bad turnover game, but they seem to be less frequent. 

Marcus Smart: 20 points, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 1 turnover for Smart who not only was a stabilizing force in this game, but he drew the assignment of trying to defend Cade Cunningham.

Derrick White: The Celtics needed his boost off the bench early in the game. Once again, he did a little bit of everything to help stabilize things for the Celtics. They looked a little slow for much of the first half, but White did a decent job of keeping the pace up.  

Jaylen Brown: He’s fighting through it right now, but I’m giving him the “up”  even though he didn’t shoot well. He keeps working through the ankle injury and hopefully soon will be a little more fluid out there. And even with all that, he finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. Not bad for a guy still working through things after returning from the injury.

ONE DOWN 

Grant Williams: His cold shooting from 3 continues with an 0-2 night. He’ll figure it out, I think, and he did do other things, but he needs to get that shot honed back in soon. Also there were a couple of defensive mistakes out there, including being too low on the Cade Cunningham 3-pointer that forced the late third quarter timeout where Udoka blasted the team. I guess maybe it was good that he messed that up considering what happened afterward. 

TOP PLAYS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- This Pistons team is going to be a problem for a while (..... is there a renewed rivalry ahead?)

I’m not ready to declare a renewed Celtics/Pistons rivalry yet because the Pistons still need to actually get good. 

I am, however, putting it on my radar. This Pistons team is feisty and physical, and they’ve been a thorn in Boston’s side for all but the first game in this series. 

“They got some great young guys over there. They are finding themselves and finding the chemistry between each other and just finding ways to be in games,” Smart said. “When you got a team like that, they are definitely tough. They are going to be around for awhile. It's a team we are going to see and it's a team we have to come out and impose our will on every time we get that chance.”

The Pistons had won six of their last nine games coming into this one, and they looked poised to fight for a seventh. Boston turned it on and things changed in the fourth quarter, but it took a renewed effort to make it happen. 

“They're healthy and Cunningham is a big part of that. He wasn't healthy early on and then also just learning the game,” Udoka said. “They have some big bodies. And they play hard. Offensive rebounds and certain things like that. Then you have a young star coming up like it makes it tough. But they give everybody problems.”

That young star, rookie point guard Cade Cunningham, is the focal point of the Detroit attack, but guys like Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, and Kilian Hayes (Stewart and Hayes missed the game with an injury) already seem to be pieces that fit well. Hell, even Marvin Bagley is starting to show signs of working well in Detroit. 

Still, it’s Cunningham who will make the Pistons a rival. Smart and Cunningham both grew up in the Dallas area and both went to Oklahoma State, so Smart’s tough assignment picking Cunningham up in the halfcourt is something he’s had to figure out for a while. 

“I’ve been knowing Cade,” Smart said. “So it’s exactly what I thought. He's going to come out and he's not going to be very, very flashy, very vocal. He's got more of a JT personality, which is, you know, laid back quiet. But if you don't step up to play, he will make you pay. We seen today he came out in the first quarter 13 points. And he was rolling, and didn't say a word. He was quiet and he did his thing and that's the type of person he is and he’s only going to continue to develop and get better.”

For those of us in the crowd who remember the first Celtics-Pistons rivalry (no, not the Ft. Wayne Pistons), this is actually kind of a fun possibility. With Boston on the rise again and Detroit with a potential generational player of their own, it might not be long since we’re seeing old clips of the Bad Boys and the Big 3, and Johnny Most complaining about the yellow, gutless way they do things, to preview a big playoffs series between these two teams.