4 takeaways as Celtics beat Pistons to end historic streak

Story by

Story by
4 takeaways as Celtics beat Pistons to end historic streak

Brian Robb · MassLive

Thu, Nov 27, 2025 ·

4 min read

About Our Ads

Derrick White scored 25 of his 27 points in the second half on Wednesday to lead the Celtics to a thrilling 117-114 win over the Pistons at TD Garden in NBA Cup group play. The victory put an end to the Pistons’ 13-game winning streak, which was tied for the longest in franchise history.

Cade Cunningham had a chance to tie the game with 4.4 seconds remaining in regulation after getting fouled while trailing by three points. However, the Pistons star missed his third free throw attempt and Payton Pritchard corralled the rebound, ending the Pistons best chance to extend the game into overtime.

The Pistons came out of the gate strong, building a 10-point first quarter edge after forcing Boston to miss 10 of their first 11 shots from the field. However, the Celtics came back fighting midway through the first half with a 17-4 run, setting the stage for a back-and-forth battle for the final 36 minutes.

Neither team could push their lead beyond seven points as Boston experimented with different lineup looks without Neemias Queta (ankle) available.

White and Jaylen Brown (game-high 33 points) came up big down the stretch though with multiple baskets and a clutch stop by Derrick White on Cunningham in the final minute to outduel the Pistons All-Star.

Jaylen Brown shook off a slow start to finish with a team-high 33 points and 10 rebounds while Derrick White had a big second half to finish with 27 points. Cade Cunningham led the way for the Pistons with a game-high 40 points as the Pistons dropped to 15-3 on the year.

Boston finished 2-2 in NBA Cup play after Wednesday’s game and improved to 10-8 on the season.

The Celtics now get two days off before hitting the road for a two-game trip beginning in Minnesota on Saturday night.

Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win on Wednesday night:

Baylor Scheierman gives Celtics offense a needed early spark:Boston’s offense came out flat with the starting five missing 10 of their first 11 shots from the field. The dynamic changed midway through the first half when Baylor Scheierman got going on the offensive end. He bailed out Boston with a couple tough 3-point makes as the shot clock expired and also found his rhythm on catch-and-shoot jumpers as well, fueling a 17-4 run midway through the first half to erase an early 10-point Pistons lead. Scheierman finished with 13 first half points on 5-of-6 shooting and drew one of the loudest Garden cheers of the season with a nifty pass that led to a fast break basket after hustling for a loose ball at midcourt. The performance earned him crunch time minutes with Boston’s regulars as Boston went small late. Scheierman finished with 13 points before fouling out in 30 minutes.

New center rotation emerges without Neemias Queta: Luka Garza drew the start with Queta (sprained ankle) sidelined but Boston’s preferred bigs for Joe Mazzulla quickly shifted after the opening few minutes. Two-way center Amari Williams saw 11 first half minutes, often going minute-for-minute with Jarren Duren while Josh Minott also saw significant time at backup center. The matchups may change night to night but it’s evident that Mazzulla is prioritizing versatility and athleticism in those spots. However, Minott was pulled early in the fourth quarter after an ill advised drive into traffic drawing the ire of Joe Mazzulla. Mazzulla opted to close with Jordan Walsh at center over Minott and the move paid off as Boston’s offense was able to spread the floor against the Pistons and open up opportunities for Brown and White.

Jaylen Brown shakes off slow start and makes big plays late:The All-Star came out of the gate forcing offense (1-of-8 in the first quarter) against a stout Pistons defense. However, Brown bounced back in the second quarter, scoring 12 of his team-high points in the frame to help propel Boston’s comeback. The forward did a little bit of everything as the game continued, leading the team in rebounds (10) and assists (five) on top of his 33 points, including several key plays in the clutch with him showing off his passing and defensive skillset.

Celtics stay afloat in the battle on the glass with their own offensive rebounding:It was no surprise to see Boston struggling on the glass against the Pistons size, surrendering 14 offensive rebounds through three quarters. However, Boston did plenty of damage on the glass themselves (10 offensive rebounds through three quarters), leading to them holding their own on second chance points (27-17). The Pistons did plenty of damage in crunch time against Boston’s smaller lineup but the Celtics got enough big rebounds when it counted to hold the Pistons off.

More Celtics content