Fresh off a huge win over the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics welcomed the Detroit Pistons to town on Wednesday night. Detroit isn’t a juggernaut by any means, but they are a far cry from the team that tied the all-time record for losses in a row last year. That said, facing the Celtics is a tall order, even when they are missing Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday (as they were on Wednesday night).
Boston controlled this game from the jump, but the Pistons never gave up. Their red-hot three-point shooting got them back into it, and late in the fourth quarter, it was a two-possession game. The Celtics were reeling for a bit, but in the end, they managed to earn a 130-120 win over the Pistons.
Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics’ win over the Pistons on Wednesday night.
BONUS: Payton Pritchard just can't stop being clutch. His fourth-quarter threes and offensive rebounds helped seal a win for a spiraling Celtics team.
Stud - Jaylen Brown('s first half)
With Tatum sidelined, Jaylen Brown got to lead the way as the Celtics’ primary ball-handler. And while there have been times in the past when he’s struggled, that was not the case on Wednesday night.
Brown was great in all facets of the game, even throwing in a little flair with a throat-cutting celebration after a monster dunk. He was all over the place for Boston in the best way possible.
In addition to his mindset scoring performance, Brown was setting up his teammates beautifully and playing awesome defense against a turnover-riddled Pistons squad.
He had a relatively rough second half, but on a night when the Celtics needed their stars to step up, Brown did just that. Brown's first half was enough to propel Boston to a win, and his high assist number was essential as well. His ability to set up his teammates was crucial.
Dud - Turnovers
The Celtics had control of this game for almost the whole night, but they still had their own issues. Boston got a bit too turnover-happy in the middle of this one, and the Pistons did their best to take advantage.
After an ugly first quarter, Detroit upped their ball pressure, and it took a little while for the Celtics to get used to it. They were getting rushed and ended up dealing with some turnover issues throughout the night.
It wasn’t the end of their world because their shot-making was elite, but it was certainly uncharacteristic for a team that is second-to-last in the NBA in turnovers per game. (That said, most of Boston’s turnovers came in bunches, so the final numbers wasn’t too terrible.)
Stud - Kristaps Porzingis
Brown was great, but if he was Batman on Wednesday night, Kristaps Porzingis was his Robin. Every time the Celtics needed a bucket, he was there to give them one.
Whether it was a deep-range three, a post-up opportunity, or the lob he threw down from Brown as the first basket of the game, the Latvian All-Star was electric all night long.
Porzingis even thew in some playmaking to his game. He benefitted from Boston’s great team ball, but he was a major cog in the machine.
Dud - Three-point defense
It didn’t matter too much because of the Celtics’ high-powered offense, but the Pistons were red-hot from three in this game, and it felt like Boston didn’t do a good enough job of closing out at times.
At one point, Detroit was shooting over 60% from three, and that was late in the third quarter. Had they been able to play any defense on their own (or had they not turned the ball over a bunch), they could have made this a game.
The Celtics had a rough defensive fourth quarter, too. Detroit made a real run in this game, and Boston's sloppy defense had a lot to do with it.
Stud - Sam Hauser
Hauser was automatic on Wednesday night. He was lapping the Pistons.
It felt like every time he got the ball behind the three-point line, it was cash. But Hauser did more than just shoot the ball on Wednesday night.
At one point in the third quarter, Hauser drove the floor, got two Pistons defenders in the air, and finished an and-one at the basket. TD Garden went nuts.
The Celtics sharpshooter lived up to that title against Detroit.
Dud - Xavier Tillman
He didn't play much, but when Xavier Tillman was in the game, he didn't look great. At this point, it just seems like his confidence is completely shot.
Every time he gets the ball behind the three-point line in a position to shoot, he hesitates. And instead of shooting the ball, he drives and usually looses control of it.
Tillman had a nice strip steal in the second half, but he followed it up with the aforementioned turnovers. He had a great preseason, but every time he gets in the game now, he record-scratches.