It took as many games as they have titles as a franchise, but the Celtics (10-8) finally played their best basketball of the young season on Wednesday evening, outlasting the first-place Pistons (15-3) 117-114, giving a loud TD Garden crowd the most exciting finish of 2025-26 to date.

Wednesday marked the second game of a stretch of eight opponents in nine games that, as of publishing, would be in the postseason next spring. After mind-numbing over the first few weeks of the season against the likes of the Jazz (5-12) and Nets (3-14), optimism for how they’d fare in this stretch was at an all-time low heading into Sunday’s game against the Magic (11-8).

Three days later, and Boston is 2-0 to begin this mini gauntlet heading into a short Thanksgiving break.

Stars showed up on both benches for this one, with one in particular a part of the worst official overturns I’ve seen in my time watching the sport of basketball.

More on that in a bit.

For now, let’s get to some takeaways:

1. A Slog of a Game With a Questionable Review:

For most of the night, nothing came easily.

Boston opened the game in a fog, misfiring on 10 of its first 11 shots as Detroit bolted to a double-digit advantage behind a locked-in Cade Cunningham. The early hole forced head coach Joe Mazzulla to dig deep into his rotation - especially with center Neemias Queta sidelined due to an ankle sprain - and the Celtics spent the rest of the first half clawing for traction.

Boston finally stabilized midway through the second quarter, stringing together a 17-4 burst that changed the momentum entirely and set up a tightly contested final 36 minutes. Neither team ever created more than a seven-point cushion, and the fourth quarter featured a series of heavyweight counterpunches between Cunningham and Boston’s two stars.

Derrick White, who erupted for 25 of his 27 points after halftime, delivered the most pivotal defensive moment of the night by stonewalling Cunningham on a critical possession with a minute to go. On the other end, Brown - who rebounded from a cold 1 for 8 start to finish with 33 points and 10 boards - repeatedly found ways to break down Detroit’s defense when Boston needed answers most.

Even then, the Celtics’ win wasn’t secure until the closing seconds. With 4.4 seconds remaining, Cunningham stepped to the line with a chance to tie the game after being fouled on a three-point attempt. Initially called a foul on the floor, Cunningham was awarded three free throws after the refs deemed he was in the act of shooting upon further review.

I watched it repeatedly on the broadcast when it was being reviewed, and I have watched it repeatedly since. He 100% did not start shooting until after he knew he was getting fouled. There is no universe where Cunningham should have been going to the line for three after this play.

But as Pistons legend Rasheed Wallace once eloquently yelled, “BALL DON’T LIE!”

After nailing the first two free throws, the third one rimmed out.

Payton Pritchard snagged the rebound, ending Detroit’s last realistic shot at extending the game.

Cunningham finished with a game-high 40 points, but he needed 41 to set a new franchise record.

2. Detroit Dominates Offensive Glass:

With Queta out, Detroit’s size was a problem from the opening tip.

The Pistons hammered Boston for 14 offensive rebounds through three quarters, yet the Celtics managed to keep the second-chance battle respectable by crashing on the other end with purpose.

Boston grabbed 10 offensive boards of its own over that same span, preventing the deficit in second-chance scoring from becoming overwhelming (27-17).

Detroit punished Boston’s smaller late-game lineups at times, but the Celtics secured just enough crucial rebounds in the closing minutes to keep the Pistons from stealing control.

Even with Queta healthy, rebounding has been an issue for this team all season long. That it was an issue on Wednesday against Jalen Duren (who snagged 16 of his own) should surprise no one.

3. Brown Shakes Off Cold Start:

Brown looked out of rhythm early, forcing tough shots and starting the night just 1 for 8.

But the 2024 Finals MVP recalibrated in the second quarter, pouring in 12 points in that frame alone as Boston erased Detroit’s early lead. From there, he became Boston’s most versatile contributor - finishing with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists while making multiple big plays late on both ends of the floor.

His ability to regroup after a rocky opening stretch was essential to Boston keeping pace. That was some lead banana basketball on Wednesday from a guy who has struggled to find his team consistent winning in his first real season as the No. 1 option.

4. Life Without Queta Looks Like…

Well, not great, actually.

With Queta unavailable, Mazzulla opened with Garza in the starting lineup, but quickly shifted the rotation as the game unfolded.

Two-way big Amari Williams logged 11 first-half minutes, matching up physically with Duren, while Josh Minott also took turns at small-ball center before being yanked early in the fourth after forcing a drive into traffic.

Mazzulla ultimately closed with Jordan Walsh at center, opting for pace and spacing - a gamble that paid off as the floor opened for Brown and White during Boston’s late push.

I wonder if this late-game lineup with Walsh at the five will be tapped into at any point once Queta is back healthy. I think against the right opponent, it’s something interesting to think about.

5. Scheierman Shows Up:

Before White and Brown took over, the Celtics desperately needed someone to settle their offense, and Baylor Scheierman provided exactly that.

With Boston sputtering early, he drilled multiple contested threes, including two as the shot clock expired, to spark the 17-4 first-half run that steadied the Celtics.

Scheierman’s activity, shot-making, and hustle (including a midcourt dive that produced one of the loudest Garden reactions of the season) earned him crunch-time minutes.

He finished with 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting before fouling out. This was, without a doubt, his best game of the season. And for my money, it was his best game in a Celtics uniform.

We got a window into why this team wants to keep him around.

Lingering Thoughts & Nuggets:

- Coming into Wednesday evening, the Pistons were in the midst of a 13-game win streak, which was tied with both the 1989-90 and 2003-04 Pistons for the longest streak in franchise history. If you couldn’t tell by their first-place record, that type of run for this year’s version of Detroit should tell you everything you need to know about how good this team is. Don’t be surprised if you see them playing late into May later this season.

- Can we retire the NBA Cup courts for good, please? Or maybe it’s just the one in Boston that needs to go away. Forever. Please.

- 5:00 p.m. ET game on Thanksgiving Eve…is…awesome? This needs to be a new tradition. I know this only happened because it was part of a triple header on ESPN. But let’s just make it so the Celtics are always in that slot for future triple headers in the coming years. It should be like the Bruins playing at 1:00 p.m. ET every Black Friday. Give this to us moving forward, Adam Silver! I command you!

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.