Jennings Leads Pistons Past Celtics: 107-106
Dec 18, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings (7) holds up three fingers after hitting a three point shot as Boston Celtics point guard Phil Pressey (26) walks away during the fourth quarter of Detroit
– Behind the heroics of the Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings (28 points, 14 assists, 4 rebounds, and the game-winning three pointer), Detroit rallies from a 21 point deficit in Boston to creep closer to .500 (13-14).-
In what seemed like a typical Piston conundrum, losing winnable games, the Detroit Pistons locked down the Boston Celtics in the second half to come back from a 21 point deficit and steal a game in the TD Garden in Boston.
The Celtics jumped on the Pistons early, taking an early lead to the first television timeout 19-11. Behind the terrific shooting of Brandon Jennings, the Pistons cut the lead to 26-20 with just four minutes to go in the first quarter, but that’s when Jordan Crawford, Avery Bradley, and the Celtic backcourt went to work. Boston would finish the first quarter on a 17-2 run, behind a buzzer beating tip-in from Jared Sullinger with 00.2 showing on the clock.
The Pistons would get into somewhat of a groove in the second quarter, as they would cut the Celtic lead in half heading into the second half. Josh Smith, who was guarded primarily by small forward Jeff Green, struggled to get his post presence going in this one, struggling for most of the night. Smith would finish the game with 20 points on 8-18 shooting.
Detroit would head to the locker room trailing the Boston Celtics 63-52, with still plenty of work ahead of them to get the victory.
The Pistons came out of the halftime break extremely aggressive, particularly Brandon Jennings who started his takeover of his defender Avery Bradley. Jennings led a Piston charge that got them to within 3 points of the Celtics with three minutes to go in the third period. Jennings, off an isolation at the top of the key, drew the foul on Bradley, while hitting from beyond the arc for the rare 4-point play.
Detroit would briefly take the lead 74-73 before the Celtics pushed the lead back to three heading into the final quarter of play, 81-78.
Heading into the home stretch of the game, the Pistons found themselves with the advantage, 104-99 with just 2:30 remaining in the contest. After a contested corner three from Courtney Lee of the Celtics, cutting the lead to two 104-102 with a 1:30 remaining, Jared Sullinger had the biggest shot of the night for Boston.
Jared, showing his range, hits an outside jumper beyond the arc with just 1:01 to go, Celtics lead 105-104. After the Piston timeout Brandon Jennings had the isolation on Avery Bradley where he knocked down a heavily contested step-back three pointer in the face of the defense, giving Detroit the lead for the last time of the night.
The Pistons knocked off the Celtics 107-106 in a terrific comeback effort that not many Piston fans are used to seeing from their team, hats off to the Pistons on a fantastic effort as they inch ever so close to that .500 mark (13-14), meanwhile the Celtics drop to (12-15) on the year.
Detroit is in action again Friday evening at The Palace of Auburn Hills against the Charlotte Bobcats as they are coming off an overtime victory against the Toronto Raptors.