Breaking news: Four takeaways as Celtics blast another club while sitting starters
BOSTON — The Celtics, despite being shorthanded, keep picking up victories in smooth fashion. This time, they easily dispatched the Pistons in a 119-94 win Monday at TD Garden for their sixth straight victory. The C’s tacked onto their league-best 54-14 record while the Pistons fell to 12-56.
BOSTON — The Celtics, despite being shorthanded, keep picking up victories in smooth fashion. This time, they easily dispatched the Pistons in a 119-94 win Monday at TD Garden for their sixth straight victory. The C’s tacked onto their league-best 54-14 record while the Pistons fell to 12-56.
The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum (ankle), Jrue Holiday (shoulder), Sam Hauser (ankle) and Al Horford (big toe). All four of them played Sunday in the Wizards victory, so they got some rest in the middle of a strenuous stretch. Hauser will likely be out for a bit with his sprained ankle, but it shouldn’t be anything serious. The C’s played the worst two teams in the East over the past couple nights; they also have a huge lead in the East standings. So it was no surprise they rested some players.
Derrick White also had his first career triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Jaylen Brown added 31 points and seven rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis also had 20 points in his return from a five-game absence. Jaden Ivey had 21 points for the Pistons as they were without former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham.
The Celtics do have a test coming up with as they host the Bucks at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in a matchup between the top-2 teams in the East. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Detroit:
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Making a return: When Porzingis popped up on the injury report with his right hamstring strain, there was some initial worry it could linger. The big man sat the past five games, but there still wasn’t much reason to sound any alarm bells. Porzingis looked just fine in his return, playing in 22 minutes as he finished with 20 points and eight rebounds on 7-for-14 shooting. The C’s were clearly cautious with their talented big man as he only played six minutes in the first half. Interestingly, he played the entire third quarter and the start of the fourth before subbing out. Regardless, the big man looked just fine during his minutes.
