BOSTON – Malik Beasley scored 26 points in 22 minutes off the bench and the host Detroit Pistons extended their winning streak to eight games by cooling off the Boston Celtics 117-97 on Wednesday.
Detroit now has its longest winning streak in 17 years. The last time the Pistons won eight or more consecutive games came in 2008, when they strung together 10 victories from Jan. 23-Feb. 13.
Cade Cunningham had 21 points and 11 assists for Detroit, and Tobias Harris tossed in 16 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Jalen Duren added 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics, who saw their six-game winning streak snapped, with 27 points. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard had 18 points apiece, while Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 11 points. Al Horford logged nine points and 10 rebounds.
Boston played without Jaylen Brown (left thigh contusion).
The Pistons led by nine points after the first quarter and pushed the advantage early in the second. Boston rallied to tie it at 55-apiece entering halftime by making 11 3-pointers in the second quarter.
Tatum led the Celtics at the break with 15 points, while White and Pritchard had 12 apiece. Beasley led the Pistons with 12 points.
Detroit regained the lead by scoring the first six points in the third quarter, including a Cunningham 3-pointer. The Pistons extended the lead to double digits, 77-66, with 4:38 left in the quarter on a Duren tip-in. Duren also scored the next two Detroit baskets off passes from Cunningham.
A Beasley 3-pointer upped the advantage to 84-71, and the Pistons were up 90-79 as the quarter ended.
Boston committed turnovers on its first three possessions in the fourth. Beasley took advantage on the first two giveaways by knocking down 3-pointers. Ronald Holland II’s putback gave Detroit a 98-79 lead. Cunningham made a layup midway through the final quarter for a 106-87 advantage.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla soon went deep into his bench, essentially conceding the Detroit victory. The Celtics still won the season series, 3-1.
–Field Level Media