Boston Celtics crush the Detroit Pistons 101-90 at home – NBA Recap
Five players scored in double figures, as the Boston Celtics routed the Detroit Pistons 101-90, Sunday night at the TD Garden, Boston. Shaquille O’Neal was back after missing 27 straight games, but eventually had to go back to the locker room early in the
second quarter due to a strain in the right calf. Shaq contributed six points on a perfect 3 of 3 shooting from the field in his 5 plus minutes of action.
Kevin Garnett clinched a game high 23 points as the defensive Celtics launched a remarkable 41 of 64, 64.1 percent shooting from the field to hand the Pistons an 11 point loss.
The Celtics had a commendable third quarter, as they registered a whopping 78.9 percent shooting, clinching 15 of 19 shots that edged them ahead of the Detroit Pistons by as many as 15 points.
Boston was back in form. Call it their good luck or Shaq’s come-back, but they launched a 13-0 run late in the third quarter to push the gap into double figures, 80-64. Seeing a 16 point gap between the two teams, the Pistons fought hard in the final quarter
but failed to make an impact and never surpassed the lead the Celtics had built.
Paul Pierce was the same awesome player that Coach Doc Rivers is proud of. The 33-year-old, nicknamed “The Truth” has recorded an average of 22.8 points in the previous five games along with 7.6 rebounds and has been pulling it from all sides of the court.
The Celtics’ small forward finished the game with a 7 for 10 overall shooting and clinched 22 points to go along with six rebounds. He also made a steal and pinned three 3-pointers in the win.
The Pistons were led by guard Will Bynum, who contributed 20 points in 30 plus minutes of action. The player also dished out five assists and was 2 of 2 from the three-point zone.
Play by play
Unaware of the loss waiting ahead, the Pistons dominated the Celtics by three points in the end of first quarter. The Pistons were quite tenacious throughout the second, until the Celtics rose. The defensive team took an 11-0 run over the surging Pistons
to knock them down once and for all. Pierce notched nine of those 11 points giving the Celtics a spark, as they made it 49-39. To diffuse the Celtics, the Pistons also pushed ahead with a 9-0 run, and soon they were 48-49 before entering the locker room.
The Pistons chased the Celtics down the court throughout the early third, but Boston surged ahead after the 8:16 mark. Garnett’s tip-shot helped Boston break the tie and Pierce added a remarkable 3-pointer to get ahead with six. Bynum clinched a three-pointer
from the Pistons side to leave the deficit to just three points. At that moment, the Celtics were in transition and they did not want interference. Pierce shot another one from the long range and then added a dunk, soon the Celtics were on a 13-0 run that
helped them trigger a whopping 16 point lead over Detroit, 80-64. The Celtics never looked back after that.
John Kuester, Pistons’ coach later highlighted the Celtics experience advantage when he said, "They're a veteran team that understands how to finish games."
The Celtics were not too quick to celebrate the victory, as Shaquille O’Neal may have gotten injured again. Coach Rivers when asked about the big player’s injury said that it will not take him very long. The fans will give a sigh of relief, as O’Neal is
critical for the Celtics in the National Basketball Association play-offs.
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