The Pistons have heart but the Celtics never lost control. Even in reduced numbers (without Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, or Al Horford), Boston provided the essentials last night on the Detroit floor in a meeting between two teams in “back-to-back”.
Joe Mazzulla’s men mainly relied on a Jayson Tatum in great shape to repel a Detroit team that did not miss much to reverse the trend.
Like the day before on the Knicks floor, the Pistons made a good start, with in particular a fairly open first act, in which Killian Hayes distinguished himself twice at 3-pointers until Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser answer him (29-30).
Detroit even managed to resist a first heat stroke from Jayson Tatum in order to take the lead at the break, relying in particular on the good passage of Bojan Bogdanovic (57-55).
Unfortunately for the locals, the result was very different since Boston raised the tone. Alongside Jayson Tatum, the alternatives have multiplied, between Marcus Smart, Payton Pritchard or Grant Williams to fuel a 10-2 and this time allow the C’s to regain the lead (81-89).
If the Pistons did not deserve in the last act, they could not do anything against the hot stroke of Jayson Tatum, who chained a lay-up, two throws, a basket at mid-distance and two missiles at 3-points to calm the ardor of Dwane Casey’s troops, all in less than five minutes (97-106). 3-pointers from Marcus Smart and Derrick White then ended the suspense, and Boston got away with a success on the score of 117-108.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The mastery of the Celtics. This trip to Detroit with a few fewer players was a trap game for Boston. But the C’s handled the blow perfectly, having managed to contain incisive Pistons to come away with victory, even if it took the 43 pawns of Jayson Tatum to do so. Even in its weak times, at no time did Boston let in any sense of panic or concern. Beyond pure talent, this experience and confidence also make the difference.
– The Pistons are closing in. Dominated in Boston two days earlier, the Pistons presented a much better face this night despite a still complicated context due to injuries and after having challenged the Knicks on their land the day before. Everything was not perfect but the locals were in the game almost until the end, and above all forced Jayson Tatum to pull out all the stops.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jayson Tatum. With 28 points on the clock in the first half, the Celtics star started on a big foundation. His show of force at the start of the fourth quarter ended up finishing the Pistons. We will remember in particular his 3-points in quick succession on Bojan Bogdanovic and Jalen Duren to kill the match.
✅ Marcus Smart. Marcus Smart in the text, to defend strongly and to exploit the slightest flaw in attack. He sometimes outplayed Killian Hayes with his goofball defense and stood out on the other side of the field with 18 points and 10 assists. He was a go-to lieutenant for Jayson Tatum in that game.
✅ Jaden Ivey. We were treated to very good Jaden Ivey who released the best performance of his start to the season. Aggressive and adroit from distance, he scored points in the absence of Cade Cunnigham.
✅⛔️Killian Hayes. Like the day before in New York, the “Frenchie” alternated between the good and the less good. Author of 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, he was productive. His mission is now to erase the small errors that spoil his overall performance, whether it is a forceful passage here, a lost ball there, or a bad pass. But clearly, there has been better for three games.
THE FOLLOWING
Plungers (3-11): Detroit will host Toronto this Monday evening (01:00)
Celtics (10-3): Boston will host OKC, also on Monday evening (1:30 a.m.)
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