Well, Boston Celtics fans, it seems all good things must come to an end.
Coming off the heels of a blowout win (135-87) over Philadelphia, the shamrocks entered Wednesday night looking to extend their win streak to a season-high ten games. For the Pistons, they would look to pick up their first win of February.
The first half of basketball proved to be much tougher for the Celtics than Tuesday’s affair.
After the first 24 minutes of action, Boston led the Pistons by just four points (52-48). Playing without the injured Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III, the C’s needed to lean on their two stars.
Jaylen Brown was able to build off of his 29 point performance against the Sixers by adding 15 points in the first half against Detroit.
Jayson Tatum took over some of the play-making duties in the first half, posting 11 points and five assists. Rounding out the first-half double-figure contributors for the Celtics was Al Horford who posted 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Heading into the second half the Boston Celtics were still unable to pull away from the last place Pistons.
In fact, the Pistons outscored the C’s 36-31 in the third quarter to take a one-point lead coming into the fourth.
Jaylen Brown continued to show why he was the biggest 2022 All-Star snub.
The 6-6 wing tacked on 14 points in the third quarter, but just two in the fourth.
Jayson Tatum poured in 22 points but it still wasn’t enough to get the Celtics a win.
Without Smart and Williams, Al Horford turned back the clock, posting 19 points, seven boards, and seven assists on 8-10 shooting from the floor and 2-3 shooting from deep.
Horford even drilled a go-ahead three with 33 seconds left in the fourth.
A Jerami Grant two followed it up, unfortunately, which would put Detroit ahead 112-111 with 16 seconds left.
Cade Cunnigham, Saddiq Bey, and Jerami Grant would all score 20 plus points for Detroit.
The next possession would lead to a Jaylen Brown shot attempt being blocked.
The Pistons would then inbound, but Derrick White nearly stole the game as he swiped the pass from Cunningham. However, the take foul reared its ugly head, as Cunningham quickly fouled White to stop the Celtics in transition.
Jayson Tatum would get a chance to win the game with a deep two but came up short.
For Boston, this was their first loss of February, while the Pistons picked up their first win of the month. Luckily for the Celtics, this was their final game before the All-Star break.
This will allow them to get healthy and hopefully be at full strength when they return from the short vacation.
Although it was a disappointing night for Boston Celtics fans, there were still plenty of positives to look forward to.
Here are 3 takeaways from the C’s win-streak ending loss to the Detroit Pistons:
Boston Celtics takeaway No.1) Al Horford can turn back the clock when needed
Coming into Wednesday night, Al Horford was averaging 9.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game. Respectable numbers from the 35-year-old veteran who’s averaging just over 28 minutes played per contest.
Without the Marcus Smart, Robert Williams duo, Horford would reach deep into his bag, and pull out a prime Al Horford performance.
The 6-9 big finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists on 8-10 shooting from the floor, adding one steal and two blocks on the defensive end.
The 19 points were Horford’s most in a game since December 3rd at Utah.
For the eighth time this season, Horford posted at least seven assists. It is a welcomed sight to see this level of playmaking from a veteran of Horford’s age.
The 34 minutes of playing time were the most Big Al has seen in a game since January 23rd in Boston’s 116-87 win at Washington.
Obviously, it’s not ideal for Horford to be playing over 30 minutes a night, but when it’s needed, he can still come through.
In his return season to Boston, Horford has been a solid fit next to Rob Williams and alongside the Jays.
Performances like this are encouraging for Boston Celtics fans, as it is comforting to know Horford is still capable of major numbers if needed.
He’s someone that the Jays can fall back on during an off night.
The solid defense put forth by Horford also led the C’s at that end, on a night they were below average.
Boston Celtics takeaway No. 2) Derrick White is Marcus Smart 2.0
It has not taken Derrick White much time to get acclimated in Boston.
The veteran guard has made an immediate impact on both ends of the floor since joining the team on February 11th vs Denver. Although his shooting is yet to come around, White has come up big for Boston, much like his backcourt buddy, Marcus Smart.
With nine points, six assists, six rebounds, and three steals, the 27-year-old made an impact in Smart’s absence.
As just over eight seconds remained in the game, Derrick White stole the inbound pass intended for Cade Cunningham and gave the C’s a chance with just a one-point difference.
White would also draw a charge late in the fourth, putting his body on the line.
The White steal on the inbound gave fans instant deja vu, as it was a very Marcus Smart-esque play. With Smart out dealing with a high ankle sprain, it will be White who will get the starts at point guard.
The former Spur’s starting stint may come to a quick end if Smart is able to return at the conclusion of the All-Star break.
The break should come in handy for White, who was 3-10 from the floor and 1-6 from beyond the arc.
Since joining the Boston Celtics, the combo guard has yet to boost his shooting percentages like many expected he would. In his first four games with the C’s, White is just 6-26 from 3-point territory.
Playing alongside two 20 point scorers should help him in the long term. The break should help finally get him settled in Boston, not just on the court.
Boston Celtics Takeaway No.3) Grant Williams is a reliable 3-point shooter
Grant Williams is far from the most reliable member of the Boston Celtics this season.
He’s had his moments on both sides of the parquet but is working towards finding complete consistency. One aspect of his game that has already seen consistent success is the long ball.
Williams entered Wednesday night’s battle shooting 44 percent from deep on 3.4 attempts per game.
The 44 percent is good for second best in the entire league.
He would continue his strong 3-point scoring season by adding 17 points, 12 of which came as a product of the deep ball.
This is back-to-back games where Grant has made four triples as he was a near-perfect 4-5 on the long ball on Tuesday night.
You can see the confidence continuing to grow for the Tennessee product, as there is less hesitation on his long ball attempts. Tatum and Brown seem to be more confident in Williams as well, as more passes seem to be sent in his direction as of late.
If Williams can continue to shoot the long-ball at the rate he has been, he could continue to earn himself valuable minutes down the stretch.
Grant Williams may be the only Boston Celtics player disappointed in the All-Star break timing, as he would like to build on his scorching hot shooting.
For the rest of the team, the break comes at the perfect time.
This should give Robert Williams III time to heal and return to full strength for the key part of the C’s schedule.
It remains to be seen when Marcus Smart will return to action.
Jaylen Brown was also a minor victim of the injury bug as just before the half, Brown rolled his ankle though, according to the wing himself, he doesn’t expect to miss any time.
The Boston Celtics won’t take the floor again until February 24th, when they travel to battle the new-look Nets.