It didn’t take lengthy for the Boston Celtics to face adversity for the primary time as reigning champions, but it surely was a shock for it to return from the Detroit Pistons throughout Saturday night time’s 124-118 victory at Little Caesar’s Enviornment within the Motor Metropolis.
The Pistons gave the Celtics a tiring run for his or her cash from begin to end, making the ultimate minutes of the ultimate body a must-watch stretch of basketball. Boston didn’t present up in the identical vogue because it did to open up the yr towards the New York Knicks or the Washington Wizards, however in embracing the uncomfortable — a significant element of head coach Joe Mazzulla’s open-minded philosophy — Boston managed to return away with its first nail-bitter, to date, unscathed.
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Listed below are three studs and three duds from the third straight Celtics win:
STUDS
Jayson Tatum
The vengeance tour continued for Tatum, solely this time the 26-year-old wanted to play within the fourth quarter. Tatum completed with a game-leading 37 factors on 12-of-26 taking pictures with 4 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 38 minutes. He sunk 6-of-13 makes an attempt from 3-point territory and is now as much as 99 factors in three video games, additional strengthening a (very) untimely MVP candidacy case.
Boston’s first-quarter head begin
The Celtics haven’t simply been good to start their first three of the season, they’ve been traditionally good.
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Going three for 3, Boston’s 42-point first quarter in Detroit elevated the workforce’s level whole to 118 factors mixed throughout their first three first quarters performed this season, which set an NBA file. The Celtics shot 12-for-22, together with 8-for-14 from 3-point vary to use stress early on the Pistons, who final season completed with the worst file (14-68) within the NBA. The earlier file — 114 factors — was beforehand set by the Golden State Warriors in 1991-92.
Payton Pritchard
The scrappy undersized guard should’ve been keen to get pictures up in Detroit as a result of it didn’t take lengthy for Pritchard to present the Pistons issues off the bench — in any respect. Pritchard scored 16 factors in his first eight minutes off the bench earlier than ending the night time with 19 factors and 5 3-points drained in 19 minutes. Pritchard additionally tallied two rebounds and a steal.
Honorable Point out: Xavier Tillman
The Grand Rapids, Michigan native and Michigan State product pitched in off the bench with three factors, three rebounds, one help and two steals in entrance of his hometown crowd. Tillman’s solely bucket, a go-ahead 3-pointer, gave Boston a 91-88 lead within the third quarter.
DUDS
Jrue Vacation
As soon as once more, Vacation struggled severely to get going offensively.
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Vacation scored simply seven — granted, clutch — factors in 33 minutes, however his first basket didn’t come till the fourth quarter. He notched 4 assists and a rebound to assist make up for the dearth of offensive contribution but in addition dedicated a team-high three turnovers, leaving the 34-year-old with a modest 10.6-point common to start the yr.
Boston’s inside offense
Anticipating the Celtics to shoot 48% from three whereas chasing the all-time file for threes made every night time is an unrealistic expectation, due to this fact, establishing scoring versatility when the three isn’t falling is crucial.
Boston struggled to perform simply that for the primary time, up to now. The Celtics (and 45.8%) outshot the Pistons (35.9%) from past the arc however the margin wasn’t sufficient to maintain Detroit at bay within the third quarter when scoring grew to become more and more troublesome as every possession got here and went for Boston. Detroit’s 16-3 run with 3:50 to even up the rating at 86-86, prompted Mazzulla to name a much-needed timeout with 2:45 minutes left to play. A serious reason behind the diminished lead? Boston’s 22 factors within the paint versus Detroit’s 50 heading into the fourth quarter.
Nonetheless, it’s a lot too early to label something a priority, particularly with out Kristaps Porzingis.
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Cade Cunningham
Detroit can all the time depend on Cunningham to be a scoring chief because the 23-year-old dropped a stable 21 factors towards the Celtics, however ball safety was a evident concern. Cunningham dedicated a game-high seven turnovers, which flirted with the fourth-year guard’s career-high mark of 9 (recorded in 2022). It additionally proved to be expensive as soon as Boston turned up its defensive stress and Celtics guard Derrick White unleashed the menace inside him, on the rim to stiffarm Detroit’s last-second desperation bid.
