Celtics get statement win over the Pistons, 117-114

On a night where the Pistons came in winners of 13 in a row, they left TD Garden losers of 1 in a row. The Celtics were on fire from three throughout the game, going 20/43 from beyond the arc. The Garden was rocking all night as the Celtics got their best win of the season thus far without their starting center.

The Celtics were without Neemias Queta due to a high ankle sprain. That is a big loss for Boston, which would have been crazy to say once upon a time.

Without Queta, Boston started Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jordan Walsh and Luka Garza. The Pistons did not have any significant injuries so they started Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren.

Duren is a Most Improved player candidate early in the season, he is averaging 20.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, up from the 12 and 10 he averaged last season. He running the floor really well to start the season, which is leading to some easy baskets. His post-up game has also been effective scoring 1.1 points per possession when he posts up entering Wednesday night’s contest.

Celtics two-way rookie Amari Williams was among the first of the subs to check into the game along with Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman.

After one quarter, the Celtics trailed 30-24. The Celtics struggled shooting the ball, shooting just 30% from the field and 29% from three.

Baylor Scheierman was cooking off of the bench, he had 10 points on 4/4 from the field and 2/2 from three 13 minutes into the game.

Williams also had a block on Pistons star Cade Cunningham early in the 2nd quarter.

Jaylen Brown missed some shots in the first half but he did a good job of getting to his spots and the line against a Pistons team that can match his athleticism and physicality. He had 19 first half points.

The Celtics trailed the Pistons 58-57 after an Ausar Thompson buzzer beater.

Brown led the in scoring with Scheierman and Pritchard also in double digits.

The third quarter was a very fun quarter of basketball. The two teams went back and forth throughout the quarter, Derrick White had 14 points and hitting 3 threes in the period.

At the end of the third, the Celtics led 86-83. Jaylen Brown led the team with 24 points while White had 16, Pritchard had 14 and Scheierman had 13.

Derrick White really found his three point stroke in the 2nd half, he scored 25 points and hit 6 threes. Hopefully he can parlay that to lead his bounce back the rest of the season.

The Celtics closed with an ultra small lineup, of Pritchard, Scheierman, White, Brown and Walsh and they paid for it on the glass. The Pistons had offensive rebounds on three straight possessions late in the game, scoring on two of them.

However, when the Celtics needed a stop they got one, Walsh and White forced a Cade Cunningham turnover with 12.8 to go in the game.

The Celtics then played the foul game, Derrick White made two free throws, Cunningham made two free throws and Anfernee Simons made two free throws.

Then as the Celtics tried to foul Cunningham again, they ruled that Cade was going up into his shooting motion and gave him three free throws.

Cunningham made the first two but missed the third in the ultimate ball don’t lie moment.

Pritchard was then foul and made 2 free throws, then the Pistons turned it over as the Celtics held on to win, 117-114.

The Celtics shot 44% from the field and 46% from three while the Pistons shot 40% and 30% from three. The Celtics next game is Saturday in Minnesota against the Timberwolves at 5pm EST.