The Detroit Pistons picked up an important win over the Celtics to start the week
When the Pistons arrived in Boston last night, Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was determined to erase the mistakes his team made at TD Garden three weeks ago.
A day before Thanksgiving, the Pistons battled the Celtics down to the wire on the road, but Detroit missed a few key shots down the stretch that gave Boston a three-point victory in the NBA Cup contest. But on Monday night, Bickerstaff showed a degree of belief in his team that paid dividends in the clutch with Cade Cunningham sealing the game amid a 32-point, 10-assist performance in a hostile environment.
With less than six minutes remaining, Bickerstaff put Javonte Green onto the court in a moment where the Pistons needed to show steady resolve. Green shadowed Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard as he set up the Boston offense before Woo ripped the ball away for a steal and finished the play with a slam dunk on the other end. The Pistons turned a turnover into immediate offense, and Green delivered an impact play when the game still hung in the balance. Bickerstaff counted on his veteran to deliver in a crucial moment, and Green rose to the occasion– quite literally.
After Green’s momentum-shifting play, Cunningham took over from that point on to help steer the Pistons to victory. Cunningham hit a series of tough jumpers in the final two minutes of the game, including one after putting Celtics forward Derrick White in the spin cycle, to give Detroit a big seven-point victory against one of the Eastern Conference’s contenders.
After the game, Cunningham acted like the natural leader he is and deflected to his teammates after the win.
“We are deep, and we've got starters up and down the roster,” Cunningham said. “It’s fun to play with people who love their job and come in and give it their all every time.”
The Way Detroit Won: Breaking Down The Pistons 7-Point Win Over The Celtics
The Pistons picked up a big win against a dangerous Boston squad on Monday night
From Cunningham to Green, the Pistons have a team full of players who are committed to winning, and that’s been evident during Detroit’s current four-game winning streak and the 13-game stretch of consecutive victories before that. And with another win on Monday night, the Pistons move to 21-5 in the regular season with a firm hold on first place in the Eastern Conference for the time being.
The Celtics, now 15-11, fell to fourth place in the East following their loss to the Pistons, but they still check out as a team that has aspirations for a deep playoff run this season.
READ MORE: Cade Cunningham Shines In The Clutch As Pistons Nab 112-105 Victory Over Celtics
So far, the Pistons are 2-1 against the Celtics this season, and the two squads are slated to meet next on Monday, Jan. 19 in the Motor City.
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