The Pistons escaped their playoff hopes being diminished for a second straight night following a 115-111 win over the Boston Celtics Saturday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Pistons trailed by as many as 19 points, but rallied back due to late game sparks from the second unit.
The Celtics were shooting 13-19 from the three point line in the third quarter, but the Pistons got it together defensively and forced the Celtics to shoot 1-12 the rest of the way.
After scoring 95 points, their season average, through three quarters, the Celtics scored just 16 points to the Pistons 30.
Jonas Jerebko and Peyton Siva helped spark the Pistons comeback effort through their three point shooting and defense, respectively. Jerebko nailed back-to-back three pointers to put the Pistons ahead while Peyton Siva shut down Boston’s scoring threats.
Rodney Stuckey played exceptionally well, scoring 26 points while making 10 of his 12 free throws. Andre Drummond continued his dominate ways, scoring 19 points and pulling down 20 rebounds. Greg Monroe was an inside scoring threat with 21 points and 7 rebounds, while Josh Smith was nearly invisible with just 11 points and goose egg in the rebounding category. Peyton Siva had 3 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals in just 15 minutes, but his impact on the game doesn’t show up in the stats. “Peyton is a great player, moves the ball and it is fun to have him on the court,” Jonas Jerebko said. “He’s a good guy and a great teammate.”
The Pistons shot 48% from the field and 83% from the free throw line, well above their season averages. They also outscored the Celtics 50-32 in the paint.
Jerryd Bayless scored 25 points for the Celtics while making 5 of his 6 three point attempts. His only miss from long range could’ve given the Celtics the lead with 5 second remaining. Jeff Green also played well, scoring 23 points, while his teammate, Jared Sullinger added 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Celtics shot 42% on three point shots while assisting on 25 of their 42 makes.
Boston scored 65 points in the first half on 54% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc. They had four players with 10 or more points, led by 19 from high-flyer Jeff Green.
The Pistons now travel to Atlanta to play a makeup game vs. the 8th-seeded Hawks on Tuesday at the Philips Center.
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