4 takeaways as Celtics lose thriller to Pistons in physical clash

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4 takeaways as Celtics lose thriller to Pistons in physical clash

Brian Robb · MassLive

Tue, Jan 20, 2026 ·

4 min read

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The Celtics put up a tenacious fight against the East’s best team on Monday night but came up just short. Jaylen Brown missed a potential game-winning jumper as time expired, allowing the Pistons to hold on for a 104-103 victory at Little Caesar’s Arena.

The nip-and-tuck affair featured nine lead changes and 14 ties over 48 minutes. It was a defensive struggle for most of the night as the Pistons (43 percent shooting) and Celtics (39 percent shooting) couldn’t sustain much offensive momentum.

Detroit appeared to take control late with back-to-back baskets to take a five-point lead with 1:37 remaining in regulation. Brown did not give in though, pulling Boston within one with two straight makes. The Celtics got three consecutive stops, giving them a chance to tie with 4.1 seconds in regulation but a well-guarded jumper by Brown failed to connect, giving Boston their third loss of the season against the Pistons.

Brown led all scorers with 32 points and 11 rebounds in the defeat while Payton Pritchard (17 points) played well in his return from a one-game absence. Cade Cunningham had a double-double (16 points, 14 assists) for the hosts while Tobias Harris (25 points) led the Pistons in scoring during the win.

Boston wraps up their road trip with a 2-2 record and now head home to face the Pacers on Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ loss to the Pistons on Monday night:

Foul trouble forces Celtics into unusual lineup looks in first half: Luka Garza had been rock solid in Boston’s rotation over the past three weeks, but his defensive shortcomings were on display in Detroit. The big man picked up four fouls in just three first half minutes, forcing some unusual lineup combinations in the second quarter. Xavier Tillman saw his first non-garbage time minutes since Nov. 30 and Baylor Scheierman saw some minutes at center as Joe Mazzulla went small for a few minutes with Boston’s offense struggling. Neemias Queta also was able to take on a heavier minutes load but Garza made an impact in the second half with 10 points in his limited minutes. However, his absence in the second quarter was costly with Boston getting outscored 33-22 in the period.

Sam Hauser stays hot but disappears late:Coming off flirting with Celtics history from 3-point range in Saturday’s win over the Hawks, Hauser continued his momentum against a far tougher defense. Hauser took advantage of the Pistons packing the paint and found open looks coming off the pick-and-roll and on second chance opportunities. He knocked down four of his seven 3s in the loss and is now shooting 46 percent in the month of January. All of his damage came early though as he did not attempt a shot in seven fourth quarter minutes.

Celtics lose turnover battle in costly fashion:Boston is the best team in the league at taking care of the ball but they were forced into numerous mistakes early against a stout Pistons defense. They piled up nine first half turnovers compared to just two for the Pistons, helping dig Boston’s offense into an early hole with a lackluster 51 points. The Celtics’ offense broke through in the third quarter and cleaned up some mistakes but a massive difference in the points off turnovers (19-6) in the Pistons favor ended up being the difference in the game.

Derrick White had a nightmare shooting night:The veteran guard had his right drive taken away for most of the night by a feisty Pistons defense and it left him struggling to find any kind of rhythm. He missed 10 of his 11 shots including all six of his 3-point attempts. White still had a strong night on the glass and with the pass but the disappearance of a normally reliable scoring options created a big challenge for Boston’s offense against the Pistons size and physicality.

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