Celtics-Pistons takeaways: Boston survives 23-point collapse to stay unbeaten originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
What to Know
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Jayson Tatum ties season-high points figure
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Celtics recover after blowing 23-point lead
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Quiet Jrue Holiday makes 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 outburst. Al Horford also got going 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 with 5-for-8 3-point shooting while Jaylen Brown put 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 sensational 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, struggled to find his footing, hitting shots at a 6-for-20 clip and Jrue Holiday not yet making a field goal.
But after trailing 112-106 in the fourth, Boston found a way through Holiday and played the late free-throw game to stay unbeaten at 3-0. Detroit, led by Jaden Ivey’s efficient 26 points, fell to 0-3 despite better bench impact.
With the Milwaukee Bucks next on Monday, here are three takeaways from the Celtics’ win vs. the Pistons:
Jayson Tatum ties season high in points to continue fine form
Tatum has been on a roll to open the 2024-25 season, logging 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 scoring 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 get any momentum going, 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 in the past for sometimes taking the backseat and allowing plays to unfold without making an impact, but that’s not been the case so far this season.
Celtics exhibit winning mentality after conceding 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 wouldn’t 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. Amid the botched opportunities and missed shots, they kept their heads and concentrated on gradually coming back into the game themselves.
That patience paid dividends in the end, with Tatum and Derrick White getting involved on both ends of the floor to see out the game once they took the late lead.
Jrue Holiday makes timely impact after quiet three-and-a-half quarters
Holiday, as aforementioned, went over three quarters without a field goal, logging just one point entering the fourth.
But when the star point guard made his only two field goals of the game, they were arguably the ones that helped Boston win the affair.
After going down 112-106, Holiday hit back-to-back triples to tie it up.
Detroit never led from that moment. It’s the second straight game where Holiday scored just seven points, but without those six, this game could’ve had a different outcome.
