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The Detroit Pistons started 2021 in an exciting and agonizing way with a 96-93 victory over the Boston Celtics. Detroit at one point led the Celtics by 21, and they needed almost all of that to hold the Celtics.
The Pistons came out and hit the Celtics early on. Detroit was without Blake Griffin (in concussion protocol), but their bullet moment, shooting, and defense were firing all cylinders early. Detroit forced seven turnovers in the first quarter, attacking the Celtics squarely on five occasions.
Jerami Grant paced Detroit with 10 points and the team shot 12 of 24 in the first quarter as the Pistons were up 15 at the end of one.
The second quarter was a 28-28 draw. The Celtics didn’t fully cook for about four minutes into the half, as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown forced the action with their supreme playing and penetrating skills. Marcus Smart did a bit of everything and was the Celtics’ best player in the half. Jeff Teague was also positive for the Celtics, scoring eight points on four shots, doing a solid job soaking up some of the minutes that would normally go to injured Kemba Walker.
The Celtics beat the Pistons 33-24 in the third quarter, drawing a sixth-game with 12 minutes remaining. Jayson Tatum took over. Jaylen Brown has taken over. They got all the photos they wanted and have a whole bunch of them in the paint. It was an offensive aggression clinic and a great one-on-one game.
The Pistons’ attack really stalled and no one except Saddiq Bey and his shots on the outside had much to do.
The Celtics controlled the fourth quarter from the start with a few Tatum triples, but the Pistons didn’t back down, tightening the defense and doing just enough on the back of Derrick Rose and free throws from Bey and Mason Plumlee. Jaylen Brown looked decent with seconds to tie the game but didn’t connect.
Detroit was led by Jerami Grant with 24 points, although he needed 24 shots to get it thanks to the umpires’ lack of love over many drives in the paint and an overall fight on the perimeter. Saddiq Bey, meanwhile, canned five of his eight 3-pointers and landed a free kick late on his way to 17 points. Isaiah Stewart added eight points and five rebounds and a lot of energy.
The Celtics were led by Tatum (28 points) and Brown (25).
Detroit is undefeated in 2021, my friends.
Here are some additional thoughts on each piston tonight:
INPUTS
Killian Hayes
Hayes had some good streaks leading the secondary break, but struggled to defend and shoot (both off dribbling and catch and shoot). He had at least three very decent looks according to my account, but two of them were missing a lot. I’m glad he doesn’t hesitate to take those looks. They will soon fall for him.
Saddiq Bey
Bey had her second start of her career and did not disappoint. Bey defended well on the perimeter with good lateral movement and good positioning.
In the first half, he had some questionable and overly anxious streaks trying to get his man out of the dribble, but like a lot of us fans have said, you have to LOVE his confidence. He’s 21 but just a rookie.
In the third quarter Bey broke through three treys as the rest of the squad were pretty cold.
Josh jackson
It wasn’t Josh’s best outing, but he made some impressive first-half plays that helped Detroit secure their lead. Josh is so slick and is able to take his own photo almost anytime. The big key to moving forward is shot selection, ball safety and defensive consistency. Josh has a lot of room to grow and I expect great things from him.
Jerami grant
Jerami played fantastic in the first half with 18 points on a combination of smooth and powerful drives, as well as some rhythmic jump shots. The second half was a struggle in terms of shooting (AND he barely got a call to go his way), but Grant mostly played strong individual and team defense throughout the length. Are we all starting to realize that this guy is damn good?!?
Mason plumlee
Mason quietly had a monster game in 30 minutes. He’s cautioned, a good defenseman for the team and in the fourth quarter he hit a key free throw to put the good guys ahead three with five seconds left with the Celtics waiting for possession. Five of Plumlee’s 17 rebounds were offensive.
BENCH
Delon wright
A rather calm game on both sides for Delon. He made some nice defensive plays, forcing his man to take some tough shots – although on the other hand – if I remember correctly – both of his turnovers were brutal.
Derrick Rose
Rose scored 11 points in the first half, although she had some usual uncontrollable rolling numbers that make us all scratch our heads vigorously. He made a very difficult quick break at the end of the race just under the arm of a trailing Tatum. Rose finished with 17 on just 12 strokes. With Hayes struggling so far, Rose has to be excellent for the team to have any chance of winning games.
Isaiah stewart
Stewart grabbed six solid boards in nine first-half minutes and also scored two buckets with nearly a third that danced. He contributed another good nine-minute quarter into the second. Isaiah seems to be taking the big man’s backup minutes with everything he’s got. His physique is obvious and I’m sure the coaching staff will allow him a longer leash with his total effort. When he starts to grab and jump (he has this ability), be careful.
All Mykhailiuk
Svi had some tough hat-tricks (3 of 6 overall) in 18 minutes. He has not yet fully found his rhythm and, perhaps, his place in this team. His shoot is invaluable, and he just needs to do other stuff at a decent pace to keep gaining minutes.
Save Doumbouya
Sekou had a few good looks but didn’t cash. His climax came in the fourth quarter on a heady pass on the break to a trailing Stewart who ended up a three-point game with Big Stew conceding the free-throw.
The Pistons will face the Celtics again on Sunday afternoon in Detroit.
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