The Pistons picked up a big win against a dangerous Boston squad on Monday night
With the Pistons traveling to Boston last night for a game that could foreshadow a playoff matchup down the line, Detroit relied on the recipe that’s pushed the team to a first place 21-5 record in the Eastern Conference– tough defense and a squad that wins in the margins.
During the Pistons’ 112-105 win over the Celtics, Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff made a few key adjustments that really set the tone for the game. Right from the start, Bickerstaff matched Ausar Thompson up with a defensive assignment to shut down Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard at the point of attack, leaving Boston winger Jaylen Brown with more room to operate off the ball.
Brown inevitably got his shots up and continued his streak of scoring at least 30 points in every game in December so far with 34 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on the night. So, Brown was effective playing off Pritchard, and he was joined by Derrick White as another 30-point scorer on the night.
The Pistons allowed for Brown and White to dominate the lion’s share of the Celtics’ offense, and Detroit shut down every other player on the court. Pritchard went 5-for-14 from the field with Thompson in his grill all game, then Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta were only 5-for-8 between the two of them.
So, Detroit let Brown and White monopolize the shot distribution for the Celtics all night while the Pistons’ defense wore down the rest of the starters. When the Celtics’ bench players came in, they were not able to muster much reinforcement with only 14 points coming from that unit against Detroit on Monday night.
Detroit Knows Who To Turn To In The Clutch
When push came to shove– and push did come to shove with Isaiah Stewart during the matchup– the Pistons showed a resilient brand of resolve that has pushed Detroit to the most single-digit victories in the NBA this season. When the Boston crowd rose to its feet in the waning moments of the game, Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham declared that he would be the man to decide the outcome of the contest.
With less than three minutes left in the game, Cunningham hit a series of mid-range jumpers that kept the Pistons narrowly in the lead. The Celtics responded with a couple timely shots from White down the stretch, including a deep three-pointer, but Cunningham put the game on ice with less than a minute remaining.
Cunningham received the inbounds pass, dribbled to space then found Duncan Robinson open to accept the Celtics’ last-chance foul brigade. Robinson hit both of his free throws, and the Pistons were able to capture a big win against another contender in the Eastern Conference on the road.
Detroit has now won four consecutive games, and Cunningham finished the narrow victory with 32 points, 10 assists and four rebounds, but the most crucial element of Cade's game was his long-range shooting on Monday night. Against the Celtics, Cunningham went 6-for-10 from behind the arc, and that perimeter shooting played a pivotal role in the Pistons' win.
With the seven-point win over the Celtics in the books, the Pistons have a couple days off to rest up before squaring off with the Dallas Mavericks later in the week.
For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.