Short-handed Celtics blow out Pistons, win 8th straight

Celtics

The Celtics are now tied with the Bucks from 1970-71 and 1971-72, as well as the Spurs from 2015-16 with 15 wins by 25 points or more.

THE Celtics continued to roll Friday, demolishing the Pistons 129-102 in Detroit to open a six-game road trip.

Here are the points to remember.

1. The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford, which might not matter against a lot of NBA teams (starting lineup of Payton Pritchard, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and Xavier Tillman (a pretty absurd amount of talent considering the star power the Celtics were lacking), and it certainly didn’t matter against the Pistons, whose 12-58 record is almost the opposite of the Celtics’ 56-14 victory.

Nevertheless, we once again draw the fans’ attention to the difference between this year and last year. Last year, the team often struggled against bad teams that, despite employing NBA players, should have been overmatched. This year’s team very rarely downplays the level of its opponent – ​​the loss to the short-handed Lakers earlier this year is one of the only games that stands out from that standpoint – and they’ve done a phenomenal job leaving no room for players. doubt against mediocre teams. This is why they are 11 games ahead of the second-place Bucks. That’s why their magic number in the Eastern Conference is three on March 22. This is why their net rating is an astonishing +11.9 in minutes without waste.

The Pistons are a bad team, which was also true last year. The Celtics are a very good team, which was true last year as well. The biggest difference on nights like Friday is that this year the Pistons had no chance from roughly the middle of the second quarter until the final buzzer.

2. Jaylen Brown had an impeccable stat line – a very efficient 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting (3-of-8 from three) to go along with four rebounds and four steals. He didn’t register an assist, but it wasn’t for lack of trying – he found several teammates for good looks who simply missed, including a particularly nice dish for Sam Hauser late in the third quarter.

“He just sees great things,” Joe Mazzulla told reporters afterward. “I like the way he behaved on the field. He handles every possession on both ends of the floor, he makes the shots he wants, he makes plays for himself and for his teammates. It was an honor to coach him. He just plays complete basketball on both ends.

3. Derrick White missed two rebounds to post another triple-double after recording the first of his career against the Pistons earlier this week. On Friday, he scored 19 points with eight rebounds and 11 assists. Late in the fourth quarter, shortly before he and the rest of the substitutes were removed from the game, White failed to pick off James Wiseman and allowed an offensive rebound. Afterward, as the Celtics went to the bench for a timeout, he could be seen shaking his head in frustration.

Has White developed a taste for triple-doubles, despite his claim that he didn’t like stat chasing on Monday? Time will tell (but probably not).

4. Payton Pritchard is going to spark some interesting conversations among Celtics fans this offseason soon (if it hasn’t already). In extended minutes over the past few weeks, he’s shown a propensity to both score and distribute at a level that far exceeds the fringe rotation role he’s played for much of the past two seasons. That continued Friday with 20 points (8-for-15, 4-for-9 from behind the arc) and nine assists.

Much of what Pritchard does seems to be done despite his size. He is a solid offensive rebounder despite his size. He is a good defender despite his size. He is an impressive finisher in the paint despite his size. The fact that some of his playmaking skills suited to his size are starting to show at the NBA level is intriguing.

The only problem? The Celtics are incredibly stacked at guard. Derrick White probably could have been an All-Star. Jrue Holiday is the best (and most overqualified) corner 3-point shooter in the NBA. Pritchard has earned minutes in the playoffs, but it remains to be seen how many will be available to him.

What the Celtics do about their logjam at the point guard position over the summer remains to be seen, but it’s worth at least raising an eyebrow at how Pritchard continues to play as the Celtics rest their guards starters and what that could mean for the rotation when the second apron starts to bite into the team’s big contracts.

After the playoffs, of course. The offseason is still, one might assume, very far away.

5. Holiday, moreover, told the The Boston Globe Adam Himmelsbach that he dealt with a dead arm after a collision while trying to navigate a screen against the Wizards. He said he wants to return as soon as possible, and Mazzulla said he’s making incremental progress, but the Celtics — of course — have no reason to rush him and certainly won’t do it for games almost meaningless against teams like the Pistons (and Bulls).

6. Sam Hauser, meanwhile, returned to the floor against the Pistons after painfully spraining his ankle during his 3-point barrage against the Wizards. He finished with 14 points, including 4 of 11 shooting from behind the arc.

7. NBC Sports Boston statistician Dick Lipe noted that the Celtics are now tied with the 1970-71 and 1971-72 Bucks, as well as the 2015-16 Spurs with 15 wins by 25 points or more . Once again, it’s March 22.

8. The Celtics, who have now won eight in a row, are at the start of a season-long six-game road trip. A six-game road trip is absurdly long, especially since they have two days off between back-to-back games with the Hawks in Atlanta. NBA schedule makers have left the Celtics with an easy but staggered schedule down the stretch, which — along with Boston’s huge lead in the standings — will give Mazzulla the unique challenge of balancing rest with a climb playoff power in games that have little to do with anything.

Next up: The Celtics will face the Bulls in Chicago on Saturday night. The game starts at 8 p.m.