Celtics Hand Pistons First Loss Of Season, 109-89
DETROIT (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 19 points and Marcus Morris added 18 for the Boston Celtics in a 109-89 victory Saturday night over the Detroit Pistons, who lost their first game of the season.
Andre Drummond had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Stanley Johnson scored a season-high 16 for Detroit, which had won its first four games of the season for the first time since 2008-09.
The Celtics opened up a 103-74 lead with 5:15 left to play, cruising to a win in the first of consecutive games between the teams.
Dwane Casey was assessed his first technical foul as coach of the Pistons protesting a first-quarter no-call after Blake Griffin hit the ground. The subsequent Morris free throw capped an 8-0 run that made it 23-11 Boston in the first quarter.
The Boston bench outscored Detroit's 34-9 in the first half, as the Celtics opened up a pair of 26-point leads in the second quarter. The Pistons previous largest deficit of the season was 12 points in the opener against Brooklyn.
Daniel Theis, who Celtics coach Brad Stevens said was questionable to play with an injury, scored 14 points and had seven rebounds before halftime. He finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Blake Griffin came in shooting 55.7 percent from the field and 65.2 percent from 3, averaging 33.8 points per game. He missed his first seven shots, including four from 3-point range, before scoring on a goaltending call with 3:11 left in the first half.
He scored seven points in 30 minutes, finished 2 of 13 from the field and 0-4 from behind the arc.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Aron Baynes, who played two seasons in Detroit, missed his third straight game with a right hamstring strain. . Jabari Bird has not played yet this season because of personal reasons.
Pistons: Detroit was playing its first game since the injury to guard Luke Kennard, who sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder on Thursday. Kennard will be re-evaluated in two weeks. ... Drummond took an inadvertent shot from Al Horford in the third quarter, resulting in a bloody nose. He did not leave the game. ... Rookie Bruce Brown scored his first NBA points, finishing with six. ... Jon Leuer played for the first time this season, his first appearance since Oct. 31, 2017. He missed 74 games last season with an ankle injury and then had offseason knee surgery. Leuer scored four points.
BEASTING BOSTON
Drummond entered the game scoring 17.1 points per game on Boston in his career, the highest against any opponent.
UP NEXT
Celtics: Tuesday they play host to Detroit in the second game of the set.
Pistons: Tuesday will open a six-game stretch where the Pistons will play five on the road.
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