The top two teams in the Eastern Conference squared off in another thriller Monday night.
Jaylen Brown (32 points, 11 rebounds) outproduced fellow NBA All-Star starter Cade Cunningham, but his last-second fadeaway missed the mark, allowing the East-leading Detroit Pistons to escape with a 104-103 win over the second-place Celtics at Little Caesars Arena.
“(Brown is) a super talented player playing at an all-time level right now,” Pistons forward Tobias Harris said in a postgame interview with NBC sideline reporter Robbie Hummel. “… At the end of the day, I know he’s going to hit tough shots, but it’s just about making those looks hard for him.”
Cunningham, whom Brown guarded for much of the game, finished with 16 points on 4-of-17 shooting, but he dished out 14 assists, more than Boston’s team total. Harris led the Pistons with 25 points, including a corner 3-pointer with 1:37 remaining that proved to be the game-winner.
Five Celtics players scored in double figures, and centers Neemias Queta and Luka Garza kept Boston competitive in the second half with strong minutes against Detroit’s formidable frontcourt. But it was a rough outing for Derrick White, who went 1-for-11 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range to finish with a season-low four points.
The Celtics finished with a 14-9 edge in offensive rebounds and made more 3-pointers and free throws than the Pistons, but Detroit’s commanding margins in points off turnovers (19-4) and fast-break points (20-3) proved costly for Boston.
Though Detroit won the season series between the two East front-runners, 3-1, all four games were decided by seven points or fewer, with the final three carrying a playoff-type feel.
“The margins are very, very thin when two great teams are playing with that type of physicality in that type of environment,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters. “Honestly, I thought the game came down to, like, six 50-50 balls that we didn’t come up with.”
The loss closed out a four-game road trip for the Celtics, who fell to 26-16 on the season. They’ll be back at TD Garden on Wednesday to face the last-place Indiana Pacers for the fourth time since Dec. 22.
For the second straight game, Brown played the entire first quarter and was immediately productive. After notching 18 first-period points against Atlanta on Saturday, he put up 13 with five rebounds against Detroit, accounting for nearly half of Boston’s early-game scoring.
Brown also was involved in another altercation with bruising Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart — the third clash between the two in the last two seasons. Less than 30 seconds after Stewart checked in for the first time, he and Brown became entangled while fighting for a rebound, resulting in double technical fouls on the pair.
Secondary scoring, however, was an issue for the Celtics. As a team, they shot just 33% from the field and 27% from 3-point range in the first half. The Pistons helped cause those offensive problems by racking up six steals and five blocks before halftime, but Boston’s shooters also struggled to convert open looks. That included Brown, who went 1-for-5 from three in the first half, and especially White, who missed his first seven field-goal attempts.
Detroit started 2-for-14 from 3-point range, but it worked the glass well, capitalized on takeaways and made life challenging for Boston’s bigs. Queta committed two early turnovers, and Garza was whistled for three fouls in his first three minutes of floor time.
Twenty-three of the Pistons’ 26 first-quarter points came on free throws or shots at the rim. They then opened the second with an 11-4 run that spanned nearly six minutes, with Brown watching much of that from the bench.
Garza picked up his fourth foul early in the second quarter, prompting to send in reserve big Xavier Tillman for his first non-garbage-time minutes since Nov. 30. Baylor Scheierman also saw time as a (very) small-ball center in the first half, filling a role that might have gone to Josh Minott had he not missed his seventh straight game with an ankle sprain.
A 10-0 run against that lineup helped send Detroit into halftime with a 59-51 lead.
The Celtics finally dialed in their shooting in the second half. They opened the third quarter with consecutive 3-pointers by Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Hauser again. Four minutes later, they got treys from Anfernee Simons, Brown and Garza — who reentered after Queta was called for his fourth foul — with all three either tying the game or putting Boston ahead. Another by Garza seconds into the fourth quarter made it 85-84 Celtics.
A string of three quick Celtics fouls — including offensive fouls on Jordan Walsh and Brown — shifted momentum toward Detroit. Boston responded with a tough putback by Garza, a Simons steal and a game-tying Brown jumper, then went 4 1/2 minutes without a made field goal.
With 6:30 to play, White misfired on a 3-pointer, then bit on a Duncan Robinson jab step on the ensuing possession. Robinson proceeded to drain his fifth three of the night to put Detroit up 96-91. But Queta made sure that lead did not hold, drawing two fouls to spark a 6-0 Celtics rally.
Brown hit two tough driving jumpers in the final minute, but he missed two late free throws before clanging his would-be buzzer-beater off the back rim.
