After losing the previous 27 games of NBA basketball, the Detroit Pistons headed to the TD Garden looking to avoid tying the record for the longest losing streak in NBA history. Their odds looked slim as Boston owned the best record in the league and a perfect home record, however when the Pistons lead by as many as 21 in the first half it looked as if they may pull off the impossible. But an incredible 36-16 third quarter swung things back in favour of the Celtics and eventually culminated in an exciting overtime finish.
After a competitive first quarter Detroit’s desire and desperation to win started to show, as they played with pace and punished a sluggish, complacent Celtics side. Cade Cunningham showed exactly why he is the brightest spark in a year of darkness for the Pistons as he added 22 points in the first half alone. Boston’s top 5 defence looked far from their usual high standards as they over committed to double teams and help more than necessary, giving up multiple good looks in the Pistons favour.
However, the Celtics made short work of their 19-point deficit in the second half, starting with a 19-5 run to begin the third period. Then Boston took over following eight points by Kristaps Porzingis, which started a 10-0 run to regain the lead. Porzingis seemingly carried on his stellar form from the Christmas Day fixture against the Lakers, as he scored a season-high 35 points on 13-21 shooting to inspire the Celtics’ comeback. Jayson Tatum also played a huge part in the Celtics’ comeback, as after a slow start he finished with 31 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 5 steals in a massive turnaround.
However, after opening a 6-point lead with under two minutes to play, Detroit had one last bit of fight left in them. Jaden Ivey then added six points in a row to tie the game before Jayson Tatum laid up an eventual goaltended shot to give Boston a two-point lead with eight seconds remaining. Against the odds, Bojan Bogdanovic tipped in a Cade Cunningham missed three to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Unfortunately for the Pistons, the Celtics ran rampant in OT as Derrick White scored 10 of his 23 points in the period, as well as eight points from Porzingis. All this amounted to an eventual 128-122 victory for the Celtics to extend their home unbeaten streak to 15 wins in a row.
Boston will look to extend their unbeaten home streak against the Toronto Raptors tomorrow night and end the year on a bright note.
Add comment
Comments