Celtics withstand 3-point spree to beat the Pistons 130-120

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 28 points with nine assists and Kristaps Porzingis added 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to their ninth victory in 10 games, a 130-120 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

Derrick White had 14 points and 11 assists and Payton Pritchard scored 19 points off the bench for Boston. The Celtics scored 12 straight to take an 18-4 lead less than four minutes into the game and led by 20.

The Celtics held a a double-digit lead until the fourth quarter, when Detroit hit four straight 3-pointers to come within eight points, 109-101, and force Boston coach Joe Mazzulla to put Brown back in. The Pistons cut it to five in the final minute on Tobias Harris' 3-pointer, but Pritchard's 3 sealed it.

Cade Cunningham had 27 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds for Detroit. Harris also scored 27 points, and Malik Beasley had 23 off the bench.

Takeaways

Pistons: Made 20 3-pointers — a season high — on 39 attempts, including three from Beasley and one from Marcus Sasser to get back in the game in the fourth.

Celtics: Even with Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday sidelined with injuries, the Celtics were too much for the Pistons.

Key moment

With 3:46 left, Porzingis was fouled driving to the basket. His momentum took him into the seats, where he slapped hands with a few fans before raising his arms to the crowd and getting a big cheer. He hit both free throws to give Boston a 121-107 lead.

Key stat

Sam Hauser made his second start of the year and scored 14 points in the third quarter en route to a season-high 20 points. He was 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

Up next

The Celtics host Milwaukee on Friday night, and the Pistons visit New York on Saturday.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA