Boston Celtics
A monstrous 20-0 run in the fourth quarter gave Detroit a 10-point lead that they would not relinquish.
The Celtics opened their season with a bizarre 3 p.m. Tuesday matinee in Detroit, and despite a promising start, they went to pieces in the fourth quarter, falling to the Pistons 121-113.
Here are the takeaways.
The Pistons took the Celtics’ composure
Early in the game, the Pistons showed a level of defensive intensity that appeared to briefly concuss the Celtics, but they shook off the stars and ground their way back into the game — scraping out a one-point lead after the first quarter.
For the next 1.5 quarters, the Celtics appeared to have solved the Pistons defensively, and Paul George’s heroics stretched the lead as high as 22.
However, the Pistons responded — cutting the lead all the way down to three in the third before a monstrous 20-0 run in the fourth quarter gave them a 10-point lead that they would not relinquish.
There were a number of Celtics players who needed to be significantly better, and we’ll get to them shortly, but first, we should note that the Pistons took the game over with intense defense and 3-point shooting.
The former is unsurprising, but the latter could be a big deal based on last year’s results. Familiar face Javonte Green went 5-for-8 from 3-point range and hit several big ones as the Pistons worked their way back into the game, and he finished with 17 points.
Duncan Robinson, meanwhile, went 5-for-9 from deep, and the Celtics were so worried about him curling around screens that they committed multiple silly fouls in an effort to stop him.
As a team, the Pistons went 11-for-22 (50 percent) from 3-point range in the second half after starting 4-for-18 in the first half.
The major knock against the Pistons last year was that they didn’t have enough 3-point shooting to compete against the East’s best, which held true during the playoffs.
Questions may still emerge over the course of the year regarding Cade Cunningham’s supporting cast, and the Pistons were wildly up and down throughout Tuesday’s game, but their combination of handsy, aggressive defense, grit and an improved offense was enough to send the Celtics home with the bitter taste of a disappointing debut.
The Celtics needed more from Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum has always been able to find ways to contribute even when he doesn’t score, and while he posted just 13 points against the Pistons, he did dish out 11 assists — gamely moving the ball when the Pistons threw multiple defenders at him.
However, Tatum was a putrid 6-for-23 from the floor and 0-for-7 from 3-point range. He missed one of the several overly optimistic triples the Celtics hoisted in a fruitless attempt to stymie Detroit’s 20-0 run, and he smoked a layup at the rim during that stretch as well.
Other players were disappointing too, and Tatum’s new running mate very nearly saved him from major scrutiny, but the Celtics simply needed more from their superstar wing. After an overwhelmingly positive preseason in which he looked healthy and ready to go, Tatum couldn’t find the range in the first game that counts for the standings.
Paul George showed up in a big way for his debut
George was perhaps the lone bright spot for the Celtics — he ignited from 3-point range in the second quarter, finishing with seven 3-pointers and 38 points total, and his second major flurry of the game in the third quarter pushed the Celtics’ lead to its tenuous heights.
The Celtics, of course, won’t expect George to make that many 3-pointers often (or perhaps ever again this season), but after he played a major role in eliminating them from the postseason last year, he looked more than ready for a major role on both ends — in addition to setting the Celtics’ record for points in a debut, he was active in passing lanes defensively, amassing five steals, and he defended Cunningham very credibly for lengthy stretches.
He just won’t be likely to win many games on his own this year.
Mitchell Robinson twisted his ankle
Early in the second quarter, Mitchell Robinson went up for a defensive rebound, but he and Hugo González failed to secure it when Jalen Duren went crashing through both of them.
More concerning: Robinson twisted his ankle — his foot buckling under painfully, and he crashed to the floor gripping his ankle. He hobbled off the floor, but he remained in the game and returned in the second half, which is an encouraging sign going forward.
Still, the moment was a reminder of how tenuous preseason optimism can be — Robinson has struggled with injuries at times during his career, and the Celtics will need to treat him with some care.
The Celtics’ bigs were badly outplayed
The Celtics’ front court should be a strength, but the first look was a rough one.
Facing a newly enriched Jalen Duren, Robinson scored just four points and collected just three rebounds in 18 minutes.
Neemias Queta fared little better — he scored four points, grabbed just four rebounds and committed four fouls in 22 minutes of action.
Luka Garza finished with twice as many fouls (four) as points (two), and he missed both of his 3-point attempts.
Duren, meanwhile, put up 22 points and nine rebounds, and as a team, the Pistons grabbed 14 offensive rebounds to the Celtics’ 12.
The Pistons aren’t as strong at center this year with Isaiah Stewart in Memphis, and while Duren is undeniably a difficult matchup, the hope for the Celtics that this year’s big rotation should be a real positive, especially as Mazzulla looks to maximize possessions.
Friday’s showdown with Robinson’s old team — the defending champion Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns — will offer another interesting test after Tuesday’s less-than-stellar start.
Jordan Walsh remained in the starting lineup
Mazzulla kept Walsh in the starting lineup after the young wing started in the preseason, but like in the preseason, Walsh played minimally — just 13 minutes compared to 18 each for Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman.
Walsh’s defense is a nice addition to the Robinson/Tatum/George/Derrick White group that Mazzulla has entrusted with the team’s opening statements — while Hauser went 3-for-5 from deep, he struggled defensively, particularly against Robinson.
Still, a better game from Tatum would probably have cast a friendlier light on the Celtics’ strange rotation of Scheierman, Hauser, Walsh and González. That quartet will be a fascinating group over the next few months.
Derrick White played well
Another small positive: Derrick White looked like himself — 17 points on 8-for-13 shooting, 3-for-7 from 3-point range and eight assists. He tossed in three floaters, including one that finally snapped the Pistons’ 20-0 run, and he was predictably understated-but-good on the defensive end.
Setting aside the disappointment of being 0-1 after one game, Celtics fans should take some heart seeing White look more comfortable in a familiar tertiary role next to Tatum and George. His success this year is (of course) enormously important to the overall success of the Celtics.
What’s Next
The Celtics will debut at the TD Garden on Friday when they take on the Knicks at 7 p.m.
They will remain at home for a back-to-back against the Bulls and Nets on Monday and Tuesday respectively at 7:30 p.m.
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