What Went Right and Wrong as Boston Celtics Blow 22-Point Lead in Loss to Detroit

The Boston Celtics got out to a sloppy start but Jayson Tatum started distributing and Payton Pritchard settled down a frantic offense to take a lead after the first quarter. The Celtics were getting bullied by the Pistons early in the second but then they whipped off a 15-0 run to open up an 11-point lead. Paul George got going in the second quarter and that heater carried into the third quarter as Boston’s lead got past 20. The Pistons answered with a 16-4 run to stay in the game, thanks to Javonte Green cashing in from deep. The Pistons got the lead all the way down to three late in the third. The Celtics opened the fourth on an 11-2 run to get it back to double-digits, but Duncan Robinson got hot for Detroit and Boston’s defense started to fall apart. The Pistons went on a 23-0 run and built a 13-point lead with just over three minutes to go. The Celtics made a late run to give themselves a chance, but couldn't come all the way back.

Leaders

Points: Paul George (38)
Rebounds: Jordan Walsh (6)
Assists: Jayson Tatum (11)
Steals: Paul George (5)
Blocks: Mitchell Robinson, Neemias Queta (2)

Box Score

WHAT WENT WRONG

- Pistons Defense was tough: The Celtics didn’t get to the rim much, and when they did they had a tough time finishing. The Pistons swarmed Tatum and made him uncomfortable for most of the game. He couldn't make a shot. He finished the game 0-7 from three and 6-28 overall.

- Losing things they won in the preseason: The Celtics lost the points off turnovers by four and the second chance points by eight. The Pistons have been an elite offensive rebounding team themselves, so it’s not a surprise that they were so good at it. The Celtics, though, were nowhere near as effective as they showed in the preseason. Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta only had one offensive rebound apiece.

- Javonte Green, Duncan Robinson, difference makers: The Pistons were looking terrible offensively when they decided to go with Javonte Green in the third. He went 3-5 from three in the quarter to start the comeback, and then Robinson hit three in a row during that monster run in the fourth. They combined for 23 points in the fourth, while the Celtics scored 25. Detroit scored 39 in the fourth, which is just disgusting. There were multiple fouls on three-point shots, which were killers.

- Slow start: The Celtics turned the ball over five times in the first six minutes of the game. We probably should have expected it against a very tough, physical defense like the Pistons, which is miles from what Boston faced in the preseason. They recovered well, but this was like a batter facing a 100 mile per hour fast ball after a going up against a few junk-ballers.

- Mitchell Robinson would like a do-over: He was subbed out less than four minutes into a rough start where he committed an offensive foul on a screen, botched an alley oop, and threw a ball away. He did finally spring free for a couple of lobs later in the game, and he slowly figured out the pace of the offense, but this wasn’t the kind of chemistry we saw taking steps forward in the preseason.

- Bad matchup for Luka Garza: Garza was forced into action against a tough, physical Pistons team because of Robinson’s slow start (and Robinson tweaking an ankle) and Neemias Queta getting into foul trouble. He was attacked right away and never could get in any rhythm.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

- Paul George looked comfortable: He quickly found a rhythm to not only lead the team in scoring, he set a record for most points in a Celtics debut, surpassing Kristaps Porzingis’ 30. He got ridiculously hot from three, but he was also playing an all around game, coming up with five steals. He finished with 38 points on 12-21 shooting (7-12 3pt).

- Payton Pritchard bench boost: Pritchard came in off the bench and did exactly what he’s supposed to do. He gave a disjointed Celtics offense a boost with six points in six minutes to help Boston maintain a slim lead despite starting terribly. He ended up going to the line eight times, which was a stated goal of his, which is good, but he also had a tough time creating space for himself against this Pistons defense.

- Tatum’s passing: He could never get his shot to fall, and he had a tough time finishing at the rim, but his 11 assists is something to be happy about. If he had shot the ball normally, we’d be celebrating a win and his ability to spread the wealth.

- Derrick White’s shooting: He shot 7-13 overall and 3-7 from three. He also dished eight assists to go along with his 17 points.

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