Malik Beasley and the Detroit Pistons put on a show against the Celtics on Wednesday night, outscoring the visitors 62-42 in the second half on their way to a 117-97 win. It was the eighth straight victory for Detroit with sharpshooting reserve Malik Beasley playing an instrumental part in the victory with 26 points including 6-of-11 makes from 3-point range.
Beasley scored 14 of those points in the second half, helping Detroit rebuild a double-digit lead against a undermanned Celtics squad playing without All-Star Jaylen Brown. Beasley led a hyped Pistons squad amid his hot shooting night, celebrating with emotion after a number of his 3-point makes in the second half. Those celebrations earned a playful jab from his coach JB Bickerstaff.
“I told him he’s ruining a generation of players because every time they hit a 3 they want to hit a shimmy instead of getting back on defense, including my son,” Bickerstaff told reporters in Detroit per Omari Sankofa.
The Celtics did not respond to any of the antics in midst of the game but Joe Mazzulla was asked about Beasley’s showboating after the Celtics’ had their six-game winning streak snapped.
“It’s the arena,” Mazzulla told reporters in Detroit. “He’s earned the right to do that. If you play that way and your team is winning and you feel you’ve earned the right to do that, that’s your choice. That’s on us for allowing him to feel that way. The only way we can control that is by defending him better.”
The Celtics failed to provide much resistance in the second half to Mazzulla’s point, allowing the Pistons to shoot 52.8 percent from the field as a team and 39 percent from 3-point range. They were also outscored 62-20 in the paint with heavy legs clearly being a factor after the back-to-back in Toronto on Tuesday night.
The Celtics won’t get a chance to see the Pistons and Beasley again this regular season as Wednesday’s loss marked the end of the season series with Boston winning the first three matchups before Wednesday’s rout. With Detroit firmly entrenched in the East playoff picture, it’s possible that the Pistons could be an eventual matchup for the Celtics down the line if the young Detroit squad can pull off a first round upset as the No. 6 seed.
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