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The Boston Celtics didn’t want to be that team. The Celtics found themselves in a dangerous basketball situation on Thursday, December 28, when they hosted the Detroit Pistons. The Celtics entered with an NBA-best record of 23-6, while the lowly Pistons were the worst at 2-28.
Detroit came in having lost 27 straight games, the most ever in one season. Boston didn’t want to be the team that ended the Pistons skid. For much of the game, it appeared the that would be the case. In the end, the Celtics pulled out another win, and center Kristaps Porzingis said it could turn out to be an important lesson for his team.
Kristaps Porzingis and the Boston Celtics Rally Against the Pistons
It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Celtics got the job done.
The Celtics trailed by 19 points at halftime before turning things up several notches in the second half in a 128-122 overtime win. The loss was the 28th straight for the Pistons, who tied Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA record of consecutive losses. Philadelphia’s streak overlapped two seasons.
Porzingis led Boston’s charge with a season-high 35 points. He made 13 of his 21 shots from the floor and finished with eight rebounds.
The Celtics trailed 66-47 at halftime and used a 19-5 run to climb within a point. Still, the Pistons hung tough, forcing overtime.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla knew the game wouldn’t be as easy as it looked on paper.
“I think everybody comes into a game like this and it’s just like, ‘Oh, the Celtics are playing the Pistons, so they should win the game,'” Mazzulla said. “They look at the record and create this emotional mindset of like, ‘Oh, this is easy.’ Nobody has probably watched five or six Detroit Pistons games and sees how hard they play and how talented they are.”
Porzingis Called the Game a ‘Valuable Experience’
The Celtics looked like a far different team in the second half of their win over the Pistons, outscoring the visitors 35-16 in the third quarter.
“We knew that first half was very uncharacteristic for us,” Porzingis told Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston immediately after the game. “We had to turn it on in the second half.
“You saw it from the first minute we came out. We came out a different team. We tried to do every little thing to get ourselves back into the game, and we did that. What a contrast in atmosphere and the game from the first half to the second half. It was an incredible game, and I’m glad we got this win.”
While the Pistons put quite a scare into the Celtics, Porzingis said it might be something the team needed.
“We’re going to have games like this,” Porzingis said. “These are the types of games that can really test us. Tonight was a good test for us being down 20 at the half and coming back in the second half. Definitely a valuable experience.”
The Celtics jump right back into action Friday when they host the Toronto Raptors.
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