Celtics-Pistons takeaways: Boston survives 23-point collapse to remain undefeated originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
What to Know
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Jayson Tatum ties season-high point figure
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The Celtics recover from blowing a 23-point lead
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A calm Jrue Holiday makes a timely impact
The Boston Celtics avoided an embarrassing defeat Saturday, holding on to beat the Detroit Pistons 124-118 on the road after blowing a 23-point lead.
Boston enjoyed another hot start, outscoring Detroit 42-31 behind Jayson Tatum’s quick start. Al Horford also went early from multiple scoring levels.
It was 73-62 at halftime, with Tatum’s 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting (5-for-10 from long range) leading the way. Horford added 17 points on 5-for-8 3-point shooting while Jaylen Brown chipped in 14 points. Payton Pritchard made a significant impact off the bench with 16 points on 4-for-6 3-point shooting.
Boston led by 23 points at the five-minute mark of the second quarter, but Detroit used a spectacular run to lead 88-86 late in the third, its first advantage of the game.
The Celtics managed to hang on 94-93 to end the third, but it was far from pretty as the hot shooting dried up. Brown, in particular, has struggled to find his footing, hitting shots at a 6-for-20 clip and Jrue Holiday yet to make a field goal.
But after falling behind 112-106 in the fourth, Boston found a way through Holiday and made the late free throw game to remain undefeated at 3-0. Detroit, led by Jaden Ivey’s efficient 26 points, dropped to 0-3 despite a better bench performance.
With the Milwaukee Bucks coming up on Monday, here are three takeaways from the Celtics’ win against the Pistons:
Jayson Tatum ties season high in points to continue good form
Tatum was on the roster to open the 2024-25 season, recording totals of 37 and 25 points in each of the last two games.
He tied his season high of 37 in this game, doing so by hitting 12 of 26 field goals (6-for-13 from deep) to go with a 7-for-9 clip from the foul line.
As Brown failed to gain any momentum, even when he forced the issue in the fourth quarter, Tatum took control and provided the key baskets down the stretch.
Tatum has faced criticism for sometimes taking a backseat and allowing plays to develop without making an impact, but that hasn’t been the case so far this season.
The Celtics exhibit a winning mentality after conceding a big lead
Joe Mazzulla is one of the best in the business for a reason. The Celtics looked to be on their way to a comfortable double-digit win early in the third quarter, but Detroit showed it wasn’t going to back down so easily.
The Celtics could do nothing but watch as the powers of momentum continued to see Detroit cut into the deficit. The Pistons even took a six-point lead in the fourth quarter.
However, the Celtics showed why they are the reigning champions. Between the botched chances and missed shots, they kept their heads and focused on gradually getting back into the game itself.
That patience paid dividends in the end, with Tatum and Derrick White committed on both ends of the floor to see out the game after they took the lead.
Jrue Holiday makes a timely impact after a quiet four and a half
Holiday, as mentioned, went more than three quarters without a field goal, recording just one point entering the fourth.
But when the star guard made his only two field goals of the game, they were likely the ones that helped Boston win the thing.
After going down 112-106, Holiday hit back-to-back triples to tie the game.
Detroit never led from that point on. It’s the second straight game where Holiday scored just seven points, but without six of them, this game could have had a different outcome.
