A year ago, losing to the Pistons would have been a shock.
At this point of the season, the Boston Celtics know the drill.
When they step out onto the hardwood, no matter who they’re facing, they’re going to be tested. After all, who wouldn’t want to see how they stack up against the defending NBA champions and odds-on favorite to become the first team to repeat since the Golden State Warriors in 2018.
So while Wednesday night’s 117-97 shellacking against a Detroit Pistons squad that won just 14 games a season ago may appear surprising at first glance, the motivating factors behind the performance were anything but. That’s because not only were the up-and-coming Pistons trying to extend their win streak to a league-best eight games — which ties the Cleveland Cavaliers current win streak — they were also determined to end a 12-game losing streak to Boston dating back to 2022.
“Over recent years, we’ve gotten everybody’s really good shot. Now, on a nightly basis, we get everybody’s best shot. We’re the standard,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum told reporters after Wednesday’s game. “Any champion in NBA history, the next year, they are the standard. Guys are trying to get what they have. There’s a lot of responsibility with that.”
The Celtics, who entered the contest on a six-game win streak of their own, were seemingly playing catchup from the start, trailing by nine points by the end of the first quarter. And when all was said and done, Boston was left scratching its head after suffering its second-largest loss of the season.
For Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, who scored a meager 11 points and pulled down just two rebounds in what he described as a “terrible” game, the solution is obvious.
“We have to hunt again,” Porzingis told reporters. “We want to win another championship and we have to be hunting again. The season is long. We’re working towards something. We want to peak at the right moment.”
Boston, who was without All-Star Jaylen Brown due to a knee injury suffered in Tuesday night’s win in Toronto, saw just one player post more than 20 points in Tatum. The 26-year-old netted a game-high 27 points, connecting on four of nine shote form beyond the arc. Payton Pritchard added 19 points off the bench for the visiting team with help from a five three-pointer performance.
The Celtics converted 21 three-pointers in all, marking just the second time this season Boston has lost when it hits 20 or more three in a game. They are now 17-2 in those contests.
Detroit, meanwhile, was led by a 26-point performance off the bench from Malik Beasley. The 6-foot, 4-inch shooting guard connected on a game-high six three-pointers, and followed the majority of those makes with celebrations and taunts directed toward the Celtics bench.
“He’s earned the right to do that,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of Beasley’s antics. “If you play that way and your team is winning and you feel you’ve earned the right to do that, that’s your choice. That’s on us for allowing him to feel that way. The only way we can control that is by defending him better.”
All-Star guard Cade Cunningham added 21 points and 11 assists for the Pistons, while Tobias Harris (16 points, nine rebounds) and Jalen Duren (13 points, 11 rebounds) also finished in double figures for the home team.
The Celtics (42-17) will look to get back to their winning ways Friday when they face another streaking team in the Eastern Conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers (48-10). The winners of eight straight, the Cavaliers haven’t lost since the last time they faced Boston earlier this month — a 112-105 Celtics victory.
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