Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out as 29 Post-Halftime Points from Porzingis Help Celtics Extend Pistons' Record Losing Streak

After trailing by 19 at halftime, the Celtics outscored the Pistons 81-56 in the second half and overtime, rallying to remain unbeaten at TD Garden.

Bobby Krivitsky

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
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The first game back from a stay on the opposite side of the country often proves the most challenging. The Boston Celtics certainly hope that's the case after digging deep to pull out a 128-122 overtime win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.

While the latter entered this tilt on a 27-game losing streak, an NBA single-season record, the hosts were 14-0 at TD Garden.

But the visitors play hard and tend to keep it close. Their struggles are more rooted in personnel. There's not enough shooting, there's too much redundancy, and they need to acquire defensive upgrades.

None of that seemed like an issue in the first half, though. Fatigue was evident for a Celtics team that was sluggish, stiff, and out of rhythm. They shot below 40 percent from the field in the opening 24 minutes, including a frigid 4/24 (16.7 percent) from beyond the arc.

Ten turnovers, which Detroit parlayed into 14 points, didn't help either. The hosts also struggled to stay in front of players attacking off the dribble, especially Cade Cunningham, who had 22 points at intermission.

But after the break, crucial changes at both ends of the floor and a considerable increase in energy flipped the script.

There was the glaring issue of giving up 11 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Pistons consistently created multiple opportunities per possession, including a Bojan Bogdanovic put-back jumper to force a fifth frame.

But here's a deep dive into what went wrong in the first half and the changes the Celtics made to rally for what Joe Mazzulla entered anticipating would prove to be one of their most difficult matchups this season.

1. With Jaylen Brown out due to a lower back contusion he suffered in the Celtics' 126-115 win in their Christmas clash against the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston went double-big to start Thursday's matchup, pairing Al Horford alongside Kristaps Porzingis.

The hosts were out of rhythm and stiff to start. Also, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White took hard falls. The latter reached for his hip multiple times before bending over in pain at the next stop in play. He stayed alone on the baseline for a bit before joining his teammates over at the bench.

Searching for an infusion of energy, Joe Mazzulla leaned on his second unit, subbing in Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Neemias Queta. But that didn't help as the Pistons staged an 8-0 run, extending their lead to 28-17 late in the first frame.

2. The Celtics played well to close the quarter, though, something Mazzulla is constantly emphasizing the importance of. They outscored Detroit 10-2, pulling within three, 30-27, entering the second period.

Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 12 points after the opening 12 minutes.

That closing burst also included a welcome lift from the bench, including a Hauser three and Pritchard driving baseline before dishing a bounce pass to Queta, who swished a one-handed attempt from 12 feet. They also helped Boston pick up its play defensively.

3. But the hosts still looked sluggish and stiff in the second frame. And they couldn't find their rhythm, missing a fair amount of open threes. They were 1/11 from beyond the arc in the second quarter and 4/24 (16.7 percent) in the first half.

Committing ten turnovers in the first 24 minutes, including eight in the second period, didn't help either. The visitors parlayed those giveaways into 14 points, capitalizing on the sloppy nature of the C's approach.

4. The Celtics, having played seven games in 14 days, including four on the West Coast, had trouble keeping up with the Pistons. There were countless examples of the latter blowing by the former en route to putting points on the board.

Detroit led 66-47 at the break.

Cade Cunningham paced all participants with 22 points, while Tatum, the lone player on his team to score in double-figures, registered 16.

5. With their offense flowing through Kristaps Porzingis and their defense dialed in, Detroit started the second half 3/9 from the field, as the Celtics and TD Garden came alive.

The hosts outscored their guests 20-8 to start the third frame, pulling within seven, 74-67, after a Derrick White two-handed dunk at the 6:55 mark.

6. Playing with more energy, better rotations, consistently contesting shots, and doing a considerably better job walling off drives limited the Pistons to 16 points in the third period.

Boston also forced six turnovers, parlaying those into 11 points. Conversely, the C's only had one giveaway after committing ten in the first half.

7. That reflects how the Celtics were able to live in transition, picking up their tempo in the third quarter. They also had far more effective ball movement and were attacking downhill, helping them build a 20-8 advantage in the paint en route to scoring 35 points, entering the final frame tied at 82.

8. Showing impressive poise and resiliency, Detroit kept its composure and successfully crashed the offensive glass repeatedly, producing an 8-3 edge in second-chance scoring slightly past the midway mark of the last 12 minutes.

The hosts starting 2/6 from three-point range didn't help their cause, contributing to them again playing from behind.

9. Boston continued feeding Porzingis in the mid-post, a decision that proved a sound investment. He made 4/7 shots, including a pair of threes, and generated 11 points in the period, the most on either side.

The seven-foot-three center had 23 points in the second half. No one else had more than 15.

But after Tatum exploded to the hoop, spinning past Cade Cunningham for a layup that put two points on the board via goaltend, giving the C's a 108-106 lead with 8.7 seconds left, the Celtics again couldn't keep the visitors off the offensive glass.

Cunningham missed a corner three, but Bojan Bogdanovic swooped in for a put-back that propelled the Pistons to overtime. They grabbed eight offensive rebounds and outscored the hosts 13-3 on second-chance opportunities in the final frame. 

10. The Celtics did a great job of attacking downhill in overtime. That included White generating an old-school three-point play and Holiday doing the same while fouling out Jaden Ivey on their following possession. That put Boston ahead 116-115 with 2:13 remaining.

Finally limiting the Pistons to a one-shot possession and a Tatum touchdown pass to Porzingis, who rattled the rim with a two-handed slam, helped the hosts apply the finishing touches, remaining unbeaten at home (15-0) and extending Detroit's record losing streak to 28 games.

11. The Celtics return to TD Garden Friday night for the second half of a back-to-back. They host the Toronto Raptors in a game that will tip off at 7:30 EST.

Further Reading

Jrue Holiday's Assertiveness Elevating Celtics' Offense

Jayson Tatum's Selflessness vs. Lakers Exemplifies Celtics' Maturation: 'Hopefully, It's Gonna Pay Off'

Celtics' Offensive Approach Outweighs Three-Point Struggles in Christmas Victory vs. Lakers

Jrue Holiday Discusses Celtics' Christmas Win vs. Lakers and What Set the Tone for 3-1 West Coast Trip

Joe Mazzulla Says Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis Are ‘Willing To Wear Many Different Hats'

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'

Jayson Tatum Joins PR Team for Derrick White’s All-Star Campaign

Jaylen Brown Shares His View of What Defines 'Celtics Basketball'

An Empowered Jaylen Brown Strives to Balance Scoring with Playmaking: 'I've Grown A Lot'

Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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