Detroit Pistons win streak snapped after rare mistake from Cade Cunningham

The Detroit Pistons are back in the loss column for just the third time this season after falling 117-114 to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

With 12.8 seconds to go, the Pistons had a chance to take the lead, but Cade Cunningham had the ball poked out of his hands by Celtics wing Jordan Walsh. Derrick White was fouled on the ensuing possession and he made both of his free throws.

This gave the Pistons a chance to tie the game, but Cunningham was intentionally fouled by Baylor Scheierman to prevent Detroit from pulling even with Boston. It became a free throw game, but Cunningham was smarter the second time around.

He attempted a shot as Walsh fouled him, giving him the chance to tie the game at the free throw line with three makes, but he missed the third shot, keeping the Pistons a point shy of the lead.

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham drives the ball against Boston Celtics guard Derrick White. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Pistons suffer tough loss vs. Celtics

Cunningham led all scorers with 42 points. Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren had 12 points apiece, Duncan Robinson had 11 while Caris LeVert had 10 off the bench.

For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown was the leading scorer with 33 points. Derrick White was right behind him with 27, while Payton Pritchard and Scheierman joined him in double figures.

The game was close throughout, with neither team taking a lead of more than 10 points.

Pistons fall short of franchise record

The loss means the Pistons' longest winning streak in franchise history will remain at 13 games. It matches runs from 1989-90 and 2003-04, both of which ended in the Pistons winning the NBA Finals.

The loss marks the team's first since Oct. 27 when they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers at home. It was an incredible run by the Pistons, establishing themselves as one of the threats in the Eastern Conference this season.

The Pistons played well, but they ran into a tough Celtics squad that was hungry to put their winning streak to bed. They will take their streak with pride to build confidence as they try to navigate the rest of the season, where they hope to be one of the top teams throughout the entire year in a wide open Eastern Conference.

The Pistons are back in action to complete their NBA Cup group play against the Orlando Magic. Tipoff is scheduled for Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET inside Little Caesars Arena.