Jayson Tatum scored six of his 37 points in the last 65 seconds, leading the Boston Celtics to a 124-118 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
Despite leading by as much as 23 points in the first half, the Celtics found themselves trailing for most of the third quarter.
Jrue Holiday sank two consecutive three-pointers to tie the game, and Tatum’s two free throws with just over a minute remaining put Boston back in front, 116-114.
The Pistons missed two shots on their next possession, and Tatum capitalised by hitting a jump shot to extend the lead to 118-114 with 29 seconds left.
Although, Malik Beasley responded with a three-pointer to bring Detroit within one, Derrick White’s two free throws and additional free throws from Boston sealed the win.
Jaylen Brown contributed 24 points and 10 rebounds for Boston.
Big W 😎 pic.twitter.com/XDJi4zp2kZ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 27, 2024
Detroit’s Jaden Ivey led with 26 points, while Cade Cunningham added 21 points and 10 assists.
Boston started strong, appearing on pace to break their own NBA record of 29 three-pointers, which they tied against the Knicks in Game 1.
They hit 15 threes within the first 18 minutes, establishing a 64-44 lead.
However, they went cold in the next stretch, shooting just 4 of 14 from beyond the arc.
Detroit, a young team, displayed resilience by battling back against the defending champions.
They outshot Boston in the third quarter but struggled to create quality shots in the final minutes.
After Boston reduced Detroit’s lead to 110-106 in the fourth, they failed to score on six consecutive possessions.
Holiday eventually broke the drought with a three-pointer, but Detroit only managed two points in the same stretch, allowing Boston to stay within striking distance and ultimately pull ahead.
