Pistons at Celtics
The Boston Celtics handed the Detroit Pistons their first loss on Saturday as Jaylen Brown broke out of an early slump and the team turned up the pressure on the defensive end. The Celtics will try to make it two in a row over the Pistons when they host Detroit in the back end of a home-and-home set on Tuesday.
Brown, who averaged 14.5 points on 46.5 percent shooting last season, averaged six points on 5-of-26 shooting in the three games prior to Saturday, when he broke out for a season-high 19 points. "I wasn't tripping, for me it's just coming out playing basketball," Brown told reporters. "It's a blessing, just coming out and being able to see something go down was good for me but for us to continue to win and come out and beat a team that's 4-0, it's even better." First-year Detroit coach Dwane Casey is trying to mold his roster into a winner and acknowledged that the Pistons aren't quite where they need to be. "They are rated the best defensive team in the league," Casey told reporters. "But that level of play is how hard you have to play from start to finish. I take responsibility for us not coming out and being as focused as we should’ve been. When you play against a team like Boston, they expose you. We only had – what? Sixteen assists? The ball wasn’t moving and against a good defensive team, it’ll expose you."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, NBCS Boston
ABOUT THE PISTONS (4-1): Detroit forward Blake Griffin averaged 33.8 points on 55.7 percent shooting over the first four games but was held to seven points on 2-of-13 shooting by Boston on Saturday. "I just missed open shots early," Griffin told reporters. "I tried to attack at times and get to the foul line and it didn’t go that way." The Pistons went 7-of-37 from 3-point range in the 109-89 setback as Griffin (0-of-4), point guard Reggie Jackson (1-of-6) and shooting guards Reggie Bullock (1-of-5) and Langston Galloway (0-of-5) all struggled from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (4-2): Boston reserve power forward Daniel Theis is out indefinitely after suffering a tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot. “It’s not going to be season derailing or anything like that," coach Brad Stevens told reporters. "We’ll see how he progresses over the next few weeks and then the next steps will be determined, but they think it’ll be a pretty quick recovery, which is fortunate.” Fellow reserve power forward Marcus Morris added 18 points and is 7-of-11 from 3-point range over the last two contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pistons C Andre Drummond failed to record a double-double for the first time this season when he was held to 18 points and eight rebounds on Saturday.
2. Celtics PG Kyrie Irving was held to a season-low three points on 1-of-5 shooting Saturday.
3. Detroit earned a 118-108 win in its lone trip to Boston last season on Nov. 27 behind 26 points and 22 rebounds from Drummond.