The Detroit Pistons escaped the Boston Celtics by the skin of their teeth, 104-103, at Little Caesars Arena on Monday. The Pistons improved to 31-10, including 18-4 at home.
The Pistons were ahead, 104-99, with only 1:37 left in the fourth quarter. The Celtics, however, close the gap after Jaylen Brown made back-to-back buckets.
Detroit came up empty in the ensuing possession, as Tobias Harris and Cade Cunningham muffed their shots. It gave the Celtics a last chance to get the win. Harris, however, played tough defense on Brown, forcing him to a tough fadeaway that was too strong.
Jaylen Brown’s attempt rims out, and the Pistons hang on for the win
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It was a sigh of relief for the Pistons, who led by as much as 12 points.
Harris finished with a team-high 25 points on 11-of-20 shooting. He picked up the cudgels from Cunningham, who struggled from the field, going 4-of-17 for 16 points.
Jalen Duren had 18 points and nine rebounds.
Brown, meanwhile, had a team-high 32 points on top of 11 rebounds.
Before the game, Brown and Cunningham were officially named as starters in next month’s All-Star Game in San Francisco.
The 29-year-old Brown is playing at an MVP level, but the 33-year-old Harris did not back down from the challenge of defending him in Boston’s final possession.
It was a battle between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, and with the way their face-offs have gone down this season, including Cunningham getting mocked by fans in Boston, there could be a renewed rivalry.
The Pistons won the season series against the Celtics, 3-1. The lone victory of Boston, however, was a huge one, as it ended the franchise-record 13-game winning streak of Detroit.
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