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Detroit Pistons pick up another huge win, defeat Boston Celtics 118-108

ByBrandon Marlow|
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 27: Andre Drummond
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 27: Andre Drummond

In what will undoubtedly go down as one of the best games so far this season, the Detroit Pistons have claimed a huge 118-108 win on the road against the Boston Celtics.

It was a night of huge individual performances as an old rivalry was renewed and further cemented these teams as top players in the Eastern Conference.

For the Detroit Pistons, it was Andre Drummond and Tobias Harris with massive performances, with a healthy helping of Reggie Jackson on the side.

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Drummond was monstrous from the tip-off and by the end of the first quarter, he had 6 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, putting the NBA on triple-double watch.

Unfortunately, he didn’t quite pull off a triple-double, settling for a final stat line of 26 points, 22 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals, shooting the ball at 83.3 percent from the field.

We all knew coming into this game that Drummond loved playing the Celtics, but I don’t think anyone would have predicted such domination.

It is arguably the greatest game of this man’s still very young career.

If you need to point to a single moment to show just how far Drummond has come in the space of a single off-season I’ll point you towards the final quarter with 30.5 seconds on the clock.

With the Pistons leading by 6 Drummond pulled in a defensive rebound, and instead of dishing the ball out to a guard he calmly held onto it and embraced the fact that he was about to be fouled.

He then walked up the other end of the court to sink two free throws and ice the game.

Tobias Harris was equally brilliant and continued to stake his claim as a potential All-Star.

He posted 31 points and 8 rebounds while shooting the ball at 68.8 percent and making 5 of 6 three-pointers.

The man who was once traded for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova is proving each and every night that he’s an offensive juggernaut.

Not to miss out on the party, Reggie Jackson chipped in a very handy 20 points and 7 assists on just 10 shots for the night.

For the Celtics, Marcus Smart was the leader, somehow managing to go 6 of 9 from behind the arc while on his way to 23 points and 6 assists off the bench.

It didn’t seem to matter who was guarding him or where he was taking the shot.

This huge performance from Smart was much needed, as Kyrie Irving was well held all night by Avery Bradley.

Irving finished with 18 points and 9 assists but did so while only shooting 37.5 percent and turning the ball over 6 times.

He shot a team-worst 16.7 percent on his 6 three-point attempts.

On a night where the game ebbed and flowed, having Bradley shadowing Irving was a huge difference maker with the game on the line.

The Celtics were able to claw their way back into the game and stay close early on mostly thanks to their superior bench performance.

The Pistons’ reserve unit struggled big-time and it was the one major aspect bogging the team down in the first half.

However, somebody flicked a switch during the halftime break, as they came out of the locker room completely different and managed to hold their own.

Ish Smith and Luke Kennard had moments and Eric Moreland, who was the poorest of all the bench members in the first-half, provided a very crucial stretch of minutes.

The Pistons have had some impressive wins already this season, namely the victories over both the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors during the California road trip.

Knocking off the Celtics may not rank as high as those wins, but it’s definitely close.

This team is proving it can hang with the NBA’s elite and that this start to the season isn’t just a lucky run.

They now move to 13-6 for the season, slightly closing the game between the now 18-4 Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

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