BOSTON — The Celtics, despite being shorthanded, keep picking up victories in smooth fashion. This time, they easily dispatched the Pistons in a 119-94 win Monday at TD Garden for their sixth straight victory. The C’s tacked onto their league-best 54-14 record while the Pistons fell to 12-56.
While the Celtics were without three of their top-6 players, there weren’t too many issues Monday. The Pistons played the C’s tough to start, but Boston pulled away in the second half. The Celtics’ lead peaked at 29 points Monday before they put the finishing touches on their victory.
The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum (ankle), Jrue Holiday (shoulder), Sam Hauser (ankle) and Al Horford (big toe). All four of them played Sunday in the Wizards victory, so they got some rest in the middle of a strenuous stretch. Hauser will likely be out for a bit with his sprained ankle, but it shouldn’t be anything serious. The C’s played the worst two teams in the East over the past couple nights; they also have a huge lead in the East standings. So it was no surprise they rested some players.
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Derrick White also had his first career triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Jaylen Brown added 31 points and seven rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis also had 20 points in his return from a five-game absence. Jaden Ivey had 21 points for the Pistons as they were without former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham.
The Celtics do have a test coming up with as they host the Bucks at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in a matchup between the top-2 teams in the East. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Detroit:
Making a return: When Porzingis popped up on the injury report with his right hamstring strain, there was some initial worry it could linger. The big man sat the past five games, but there still wasn’t much reason to sound any alarm bells. Porzingis looked just fine in his return, playing in 22 minutes as he finished with 20 points and eight rebounds on 7-for-14 shooting. The C’s were clearly cautious with their talented big man as he only played six minutes in the first half. Interestingly, he played the entire third quarter and the start of the fourth before subbing out. Regardless, the big man looked just fine during his minutes.
Extra opportunities: Of course, with the Celtics resting so many players, there was naturally going to be more minutes and shots to go around for the bench players. But make no mistake: The starters are still going to get their production. That was the case as Brown finished 11-for-20 from the field as he was aggressive all night. White was also 8-for-20 from the field, setting up his teammates well all night. It took some hunting in the fourth quarter, but White secured that triple-double. Games like Monday are the perfect chance for some of the starters to hunt their shots considering it’s often a selfless style of hoops when the C’s are at full strength.
Checking in on the depth: Speaking of those extra minutes, the bench players got plenty of run Monday. Payton Pritchard got the start, finishing with 23 points and seven assists. He was praised after his double-double against the Wizards where he put up a career-high 13 assists. Luke Kornet also played 28 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds as he’s become a reliable big man. Xavier Tillman (17 minutes), Svi Mykhailiuk (23), Jaden Springer (22) and Oshae Brissett (18) also all saw the rotation.
Occasional tests: With the Celtics taking on the Bucks next game, they’ll likely be at full strength for that contest. But then the schedule eases up as the C’s take on only two playoff teams for the rest of the month, including the Bucks. Those are more chances for the Celtics to rest their starters and rotation player ahead of the playoff. It also sounds like Hauser’s ankle issue isn’t anything serious, so the C’s will hope he’ll be fully back by the time the playoffs roll around next month.
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