Inside The Celtics

Celtics' Championship-Resolve on Display in Blowout Turned Slugfest vs. Pistons

Bobby Krivitsky

Oct 26, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) defends against Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images
Oct 26, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) defends against Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images / David Reginek-Imagn Images
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The Celtics entered their Motor City matchup against the Pistons 2-0 with a pair of victories by at least 20 points.

Boston made history in the first quarter on Saturday, built a lead that reached 23 points, then saw Detroit rev its engine and roar back into the game.

Here's what stood out as a lopsided affair that turned into a contest that came down to the wire unfolded.

1. The Celtics rewrote the record books on Saturday, surpassing the 1991-92 Warriors for the most first-quarter points through the first three games of a season in NBA history.

After putting 43 on the board in their opening night win vs. the Knicks and 33 against the Wizards in Thursday's 122-102 victory, they hung 42 on the Pistons in the first frame.

2. At the root of that was Boston's three-point barrage. The reigning NBA champions, who tied the single-game record for the most makes from behind the arc with 29 against the Knicks, had 16 on 32 attempts at halftime.

But make no mistake, the Celtics aren't just dribbling the ball up the floor and haphazardly launching threes.

Their ball movement and spacing were outstanding. They moved the rock from side to side and attacked downhill, getting into the paint, collapsing the defense, and creating open looks from beyond the arc.

3. The visitors' approach was cerebral. Just as they did to centers Karl-Anthony Towns and Alex Sarr in their first two tilts, the Celtics hunted Jalen Duren. Getting the latter switched on to Jayson Tatum was a mismatch the five-time All-Star repeatedly feasted on, especially while matching his first-quarter career high of 17 points.

4. With Sam Hauser out for the second straight game due to lower back pain that he said he has dealt with on and off since the Summer, Joe Mazzulla again leaned into Boston's depth at the center position to navigate his absence.

That included deploying combinations like Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman Sr. and pairing the former with Al Horford.

Tillman responded with some needed plays, like burying a three from the wing after Tatum drew two defenders and sprayed the ball out to him, putting the visitors ahead 91-88 with 1:02 left in the third period.

Then came a fourth-quarter sequence where Tillman stripped the ball from Malik Beasley and dove to the floor to help force a turnover. The Grand Rapids, Michigan native then came up with an offensive rebound at the other end and kicked the ball to Payton Pritchard for a corner three. That extended the Celtics' lead to 99-93 with 11:01 remaining.

5. Indulging in lower-quality threes late in the second frame and slippage on defense breathed life into the Pistons.

As the reinvigorated hosts raised their physicality, successfully combatting attempts from the visitors closer to the basket, they also started getting downhill to create favorable shots that resulted in an 18-3 run, rallying for an 88-86 lead. Boston went scoreless for over 4:40 during that stretch.

From there on, the competitive nature of Saturday's matchup remained elevated.

6. Boston's tightening the screws defensively to string together stops while Jrue Holiday came alive at the other end, knocking down consecutive threes, erased a six-point Pistons advantage. The two-time All-Star's second triple evened the score at 112 with just under three minutes left.

Holiday's stepping up perfectly captured a championship team that knows how to win, no matter what the situation calls for.

The same applies to a superb play by Derrick White, making a terrific read, rotating as the low defender on the weak side to perfectly time a rejection of a Cade Cunningham layup attempt. That preserved a 116-114 edge for the visitors with 49.2 seconds remaining.

That also goes for Jaylen Brown's impact on the glass. He grabbed a team-high ten rebounds, second to only Tobias Harris (11), and sealed Saturday's victory by securing a Cunningham missed free throw and converting on a pair of free throws to give Boston a 124-118 win.

Up next: The Celtics return home for a Monday night matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. That game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. EST.

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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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