They flexed their muscles, unleashing an avalanche of depth and firepower for a convincing 123-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons with Boston’s All-Star Jayson Tatum sitting out the action.
Off the bench, reserve guard Payton Pritchard had himself a career night, scoring 27 points with 10 assists, hitting seven three-pointers-he became the 10th Celtic to hit 500 in his career. His backcourt mate, Derrick White, also knocked down seven threes, scoring 23 points. Kristaps Porziņģis had 19, Jaylen Brown chipped in with 14, while Luke Kornet added 12, as six Celtics finished with double figure scoring.
For Detroit, it was Ronald Holland chipping in 26 off the bench, while Cade Cunningham flirted with his third triple-double in as many weeks: 18 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Detroit shot just seven of 37 from deep.
At 20-5 now, Boston now is a game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers atop the Eastern Conference standings. The Heat, in Miami, came from as much as 16 points down to defeat the Toronto Raptors 114-104 and extend their winning streak to four. Tyler Herro led the Heat with 23 points. Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 16 rebounds, while RJ Barrett scored a triple-double for the Raptors – 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings barely outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans in seesaw action, 111-109. Domantas Sabonis scored 32 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan added 29, and Sacramento withstood a late surge by New Orleans – led by CJ McCollum’s 36 points – to snap the Pelicans’ rally. It was a night marked by standouts everywhere, showing just how deep and just how wild this NBA is.
