The Celtics thwarted a late Pistons comeback attempt without Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday.
The Celtics beat the Pistons, 130-120, on Wednesday one week ahead of a newly scheduled game between the two in Boston after both teams narrowly missed the NBA Cup. The win featured some tension between Jaylen Brown and Isaiah Stewart, Jayson Tatum’s first rest night of the season and a frantic fourth quarter comeback attempt by Detroit.
1. Jaylen Brown returns to first quarter tone-setting role
Jaylen Brown played the entire first quarter for only the fourth time this season. Acknowledging his shift to sitting midway through the opening frame to allow Tatum to log entire firsts has been an adjustment, Brown slid comfortably back into the tone-setting role as both a scorer and passer. He scored 16 points to build an early 19-point advantage for Boston, generating eight free throw attempts, tying the second-most in a quarter in his career. Brown finished the night with 28 points, four rebounds, nine assists and three steals on 10-of-21 shooting after his 5-for-8 start in the first. Prior to Wednesday, he averaged 6.4 1Q points per game, down from 7.2 last season, which tied for 10th in the NBA. Tatum now leads the league with 211 first quarter points.
2. Jayson Tatum takes the night off
Tatum looked tired and out of sync on Monday against the Heat, committing a season-high six turnovers after starting the day on the injury report. Only De’Aaron Fox and Keegan Murray logged more playing time to begin this season than Tatum’s 764 minutes through Monday. They’ve needed him — Boston’s net rating is 6.5 points per 100 possessions better with Tatum off the floor compared to on this year, according to Cleaning the Glass. While the Celtics’ offense boomed with Tatum on the floor in the past, they’re allowing 8.2 points per 100 fewer to opponents this year when he’s playing (90th percentile).
Like last year, Boston’s offense has actually fared better into second non-Tatum units. That showed on Wednesday, when Brown powered an 130-point effort while the Celtics’ defense lagged when they couldn’t force turnovers. Joe Mazzulla said several times this week he doesn’t want to convince Tatum and others not to play, but that they’ll listen to team medical staff and Tatum’s trainer Nick Sang on how to best manage his playing time. Boston has won eight of its last nine games when he sits, so they can get by without using him too much.
3. Payton Pritchard works his way out of slow start
Wednesday looked like the end of the Boston Pritchard party until a full fourth quarter where he poured in 4-of-6 three point shooting, grabbed two contested offensive rebounds and staved off a 32-27 Pistons comeback attempt. It marked the ninth appearance in clutch time for Pritchard in 13 close finishes for Boston. He’s shooting 66.7% from the field on six attempts and 2-of-4 from three with three assists and no turnovers in those situations. As teams become more aware of Pritchard as a threat alongside Boston’s other stars, it’ll become intriguing how often Joe Mazzulla shifts to an increasingly important part of the Celtics’ offense.
Expanded minutes with Holiday out in the last two games allowed Pritchard to log over 30 minutes, crucial on Wednesday to allowing the latter to escape a 1-of-7 start from three. That might not have been possible in the past before Pritchard’s role ballooned to begin this season. Only Brown and Tatum have scored more clutch points on the team this year, and Pritchard ranks tied for 33rd with 99 fourth quarter points.
4. Sam Hauser emerges from struggles
Sam Hauser returned from missing Monday’s game for personal reasons and started in place of Holiday, unloading his best game of the year (5-10) from three. He’s declined to use an offseason back injury that forced him to miss three games earlier this year as an excuse for his slower-than-usual start (35.1% 3PT) and worked above 36% on Wednesday. The Celtics have been able to utilize larger lineups to make up for his absence or limitations in spots, while Drew Peterson’s emergence in recent games gives them another option. Only Hauser and Pritchard have 20-point scoring upside and the ability to unload droves of quality threes, and having the former look more like himself helps push Boston closer to boasting the best offense in the league.
5. Luke Kornet squarely back in the depth center role
Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis have played together often since the latter’s return, 38 minutes in three of his four appearances where he’s averaged 21 PPG. That’s led to a continued need for some depth center minutes that’ll return when Horford and Porziņģis rest at some point in Friday and Saturday’s back-to-back. While Neemias Queta surpassed Luke Kornet last month, leading to a DNP-CD against the Cavs before he missed two games with hamstring tightness, Kornet returned to a significant role on Monday and blocked six shots.
Mazzulla noted an increased physicality they want Kornet to play with that continued in Wednesday’s win, where he grabbed eight rebounds, blocked two more shots and generated two steals. As Boston shifts back to being a drop defense team, look for Kornet to return to his effectiveness from last season. The Celtics have even explored giant Kornet and Porziņģis minutes. Xavier Tillman Sr. played 3:51 for switching purposes, appearing more often recently. Queta did not play in three of Boston’s last six games.
6. Celtics growing vulnerable to the three as rim protection improves
Since Porziņģis returned from injury, the Celtics’ defensive rating has improved from 111.1 to 108.7. Improved rim protection with Boston playing bigger and often with multiple bigs, rising from bottom-10 in efficiency allowed inside five feet to top-three over the last five games. The Celtics have only allowed 57.3% shooting around the rim after leaking baskets around the rim at a 65% rate to begin the season. While they’ve cut off the basket, opponents, including the Pistons, have hunted threes. Boston allowed the fourth-fewest three point attempts per game prior to Porziņģis’ return, and since have allowed 37.4 per game (14th) at a 38.5% rate (24th).
Detroit hit 5-of-7 from three in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to cut a 20-point lead to eight. Boston out-shot the Pistons 53-39 from deep to escape with a win in a game where Detroit shot 51.3% from three. That’s why Mazzulla stresses generating and limiting threes, and he’ll undoubtedly adjust to find a balance on defense.
7. Boston didn’t sound bummed about missing the Cup
The Celtics will play a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday before playing only two games over the next 11 days. They’ll have taken the court 24 times in 46 days to begin the year, and five times in seven days when this week finishes. A Cup appearance would’ve put them back on the floor in New York next Wednesday before potentially traveling to Las Vegas next weekend. Hauser said the Celtics set out to win the Cup before the season. Mazzulla, who’s been hot-and-cold on the tournament, pointed back to the team’s effort in the Atlanta loss. Some in the organization exhaled at the reduced travel load, especially after the preseason Abu Dhabi trip. The Celtics will host Detroit again on Thursday and visit Washington DC on Dec. 15 instead of taking part in the Cup.
8. The Pistons look like a potential first round opponent
Detroit pushed the Celtics after falling behind 26-7 early, outscoring Boston 113-104 the rest of the way. Julian Benbow from The Boston Globe pointed out to me how successful, generally, teams who have scored 58 points in the first half were to begin this year when they weren’t playing the Celtics. The Pistons have fought all year, playing Boston within 124-118 in Detroit in October. They’ve won nine games already, which they didn’t do until Feb. 27 last season in their historically disastrous year. Cade Cunningham is great, turnovers aside, Isaiah Stewart and Brown jarred throughout the night and Malik Beasley has hit more threes this year than anyone not named LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards and Tatum. The race for the play-in spots in the east is wide open, the Pistons are 0.5 games back, and there’s no reason to think they can’t sneak into the playoffs as the eight seed under JB Bickerstaff’s coaching.
9. Derrick White’s passing flourishes
Always an underrated strength, Boston’s inside-out activity allowed Derrick White to rack up 11 assists for only the eighth time in his career and the seventh time with the Celtics. He last did it in March — at Detroit. White achieved his preseason goal to set a career high with 5.2 APG last year. Wednesday’s win vaulted him to 4.9 this season. Horford, Porziņģis, Pritchard and Brown also passed well in the game, Boston finishing with 30 assists on 45 baskets. The Celtics, however, combined for 30 turnovers over the last two games, something to watch.
10. Drew Peterson, Xavier Tillman Sr. and Jordan Walsh fighting for depth wing role
None of the three excelled in limited minutes, but Drew Peterson stuck around with Boston and appeared in a third straight game as Maine’s road trip continued elsewhere. Whether for logistical seasons or due to an increasing sense that Peterson could be emerging as the team’s depth wing, Boston hasn’t seemed in a hurry to send Peterson back to the G-League. Jordan Walsh started on Monday and played 6:39 on Wednesday, missing a layup for his only shot attempt. His offensive involvement has diminished after a strong preseason despite staying with Boston all season and receiving consistent opportunities early.
Tillman Sr., another option at the four in the Celtics’ front court, played 19 minutes over the past two games, but didn’t attempt a shot. Mazzulla has tried to keep everyone involved through the team’s rest in recent weeks, and they’ll likely remain so before a Maine return could loom for Peterson, and possibly even Walsh on Sunday afternoon as the team’s Cup layoff begins.