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Here's What Stood Out in the Celtics' Win vs. Pistons: Tatum and Brown Combine for 61 Points as Boston Rolls to Fourth-Straight Victory
Last season, the Pistons consistently gave the Celtics a hard time, including coming into TD Garden and walking out with a win. Boston knew not to take them lightly or look ahead to Friday's game against the Nuggets.
Maintaining focus and handling business, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 61 points, Sam Hauser registered a new career-high 24, and the Celtics' defense stifled Cade Cunningham (four points) and company.
Now, for a deep dive into Boston's 128-112 win over Detroit.
With Pistons Junking Up the Game, Celtics Struggle to Find Their Rhythm in the First Frame
Boston jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the early going. Headlining that was Jayson Tatum spinning to the cup for two points and beautiful ball movement that produced an open three for Tatum two possession later.
On the Celtics' following possession, Jaylen Brown grabbed the rebound after Tatum got another open look from beyond the arc, and Brown dished to Grant Williams, who drilled a three from the left wing.
In what had to be a demoralizing sequence, after Detroit had four unsuccessful cracks at putting the ball through the basket, Brown came down and buried a pull-up three from the right wing. That put the hosts ahead 15-6.
1:15 seconds later, Malcolm Brogdon blocked a Bojan Bogdanovic jumper, quickly brought the ball up-court, then delivered an on-target pass to Al Horford, hitting the Boston big man in stride as he gained a step on the defense.
That gave the Celtics a 17-9 lead with 6:14 on the clock.
With Williams starting for the second-straight game, a matchup-motivated decision, when Derrick White first entered the contest with 6:06 to play in the first frame, Boston briefly utilized a lineup featuring Marcus Smart, White, Brogdon, Brown, and Horford. But the less than two-minute sample size is less to make anything of their performance than a footnote.
The Celtics mostly made their living at the free-throw line the rest of the quarter, including a pair by Brogdon, followed by Killian Hayes crossing up his defender off the dribble and knocking down a jumper from 20 feet, bringing the score to 29-21 at the end of one.
Brown and Bogdanovic tied for a game-high seven points in the frame, while Brogdon scored six for the hosts.
Both teams shot below 24 percent from beyond the arc, helping the Pistons junk up the game, and making it hard for the Celtics to find their rhythm or push the pace.
Boston earning eight free throws and converting on nine of them is a significant reason the Celtics held the lead entering the second quarter. The same goes for producing 12 points in the paint.
And while Boston's searching for its rhythm, the home team helped its cause by assisting on 7/9 field goals.
But Boston needs to do a better job on the defensive glass moving forward. Detroit grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the period, turning them into six second-chance points, plus two more after a Tatum turnover, stemming from Jalen Duran's pursuit of a Pistons miss, leading to Duran dishing to Hamidou Diallo for a layup.
Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser Fuel Celtics in the Second Quarter
After Detroit cut its deficit to three on a Jaden Ivey triple at the 9:40 mark, Sam Hauser matched him, coming off a down screen from Grant Williams and cashing in from the left slot.
With 3:35 to play in the period, Horford gathered an entry pass from Smart to the low post and turned to his patented jump hook to get Boston a bucket. It's one of the simple options the Celtics can turn to produce points to pull them out of a drought or avoid it altogether.
After that came a sequence where Sam Hauser got a layup off a cut, drilled a three from up top, then got to the cup off the bounce for another layup, giving the hosts a 55-41 advantage.
While Bogdanovic countered with a pull-up jumper off the dribble, Brown responded with a thunderous one-handed jam. He then buried a baseline jumper, extending the lead to 14 with 1:31 remaining.
When the first half ended, Boston held a 63-49 advantage.
Brown led all scorers with 17 points on 5/8 shooting and produced six points on seven free throws. He also grabbed five rebounds, dished out three assists, and had no turnovers.
Hauser provided 12 points off the bench, playing a critical role in the Celtics taking a double-digit lead into the locker room.
During the break, Boston announced Brogdon is out for the remainder of the game due to right hamstring tightness.
Jayson Tatum Takes Over in the Third Quarter
After a quiet first half, Tatum scored the Celtics' first 11 points of the third quarter, including burying three-straight threes.
The last one was a sign he was feeling it, operating off the dribble, backing up to the three-point line, and swishing a shot from 27 feet at the right wing. That put Boston ahead 74-59.
At the 7:21 mark, after helter-skelter play by both sides, Smart did an excellent job calming the Celtics' offense, getting the ball to Tatum in the mid-post, and the three-time All-Star went to work, burying a mid-range fadeaway.
The following time down the floor, Tatum knocked down another three, with Smart again registering the assist, extending Boston's advantage to 79-63, its largest lead of the night.
Brown, who feeds off when Tatum gets going, partially due to the impact it has on the opposing defense, then cashed in from eight feet before burying a shot from 20 feet off the dribble. That put the hosts on top 83-68.
Horford followed it up by collecting a behind-the-back dish from Tatum and swishing a three from the left corner.
With 3:55 remaining, Joe Mazzulla brought Payton Pritchard into the game. It's been a trying start to the season for Pritchard, who had his option for next season picked up but rarely plays.
The Pistons trimmed their deficit to 10, thanks to a 6-0 run, including a Diallo layup and Bogdanovic pull-up jumper.
In another impactful sequence by Hauser, with the Celtics having failed to score for four minutes, he knocked down a three from the left corner and then the right wing, pushing their lead to 92-76 in the final minute.
And while Hayes countered with an old-school three-point play at the other end, Brown brought the crowd to their feet, ending the frame with a three off the dribble from the left wing. That gave Boston a 95-79 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Celtics Put the Pistons Away Well Before the Final Buzzer
Just over 1:30 into the final frame, a steal by White turned into Pritchard sprinting down the floor and Tatum finding him on a cross-court bounce pass for a transition layup.
Then came Tatum getting into his bag, spinning and swishing a step-back fadeaway to put the Celtics ahead 102-83.
With 8:00 remaining, Hayes knocked down another mid-range jumper, his third of the quarter, giving him 16 points in the contest.
Isaiah Livers then picked up a flagrant foul while trying to contest a Tatum three. The result was the Celtics star making all three free throws, giving Boston a 110-91 advantage.
At the 7:06 mark, Hayes lost the ball off the dribble. And not only did Smart do an impressive job getting to it and keeping his balance as he dribbled down the sideline in the backcourt, he was able to get it ahead to Tatum for a jam that extended the hosts lead to 112-94 with 7:04 on the clock.
After that, Brown dazzled the TD Garden faithful with a pair of rim-rattling dunks sandwiched between a layup. The first came courtesy of Boston pushing the ball in transition and Tatum delivering a no-look dish to Brown for a two-handed flush.
His reverse jam to cap his six-point burst gave Brown 30 points and put the Celtics ahead 120-96 with 5:36 left.
After that, Mazzulla emptied his bench as Boston's starters and top rotation members got to kick their feet up for nearly half of the final frame of the Celtics' 128-112 win over the Pistons.
Up Next
The Celtics host the reigning two-time MVP, Nikola Jokic, and the Nuggets Friday night. The game tips off at 7:00 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
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