Celtics fall to Pistons in OT, 105-97
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| Despite well-rounded games from Turner and Crowder, the Celtics couldn't outlast Andre Drummond and the Pistons. |
After coming out of the second half on the wrong side of a 41-47 game, Boston quickly went to a hack-a-Drummond strategy. The big man's infamous free throw shooting was a bane for the Pistons as he shot a miserable 2-11 at the stripe. Still, Andre Drummond finished with a monster line of 18 points, 22 rebounds and 4 blocks, and Boston's team-shooting woes proved to be the bigger problem.
The Celtics and Pistons jockeyed for the lead throughout the third and fourth quarters. With only 1:11 left, Jae Crowder continued some stellar play by beating his man off the dribble for a crucial and-1. Boston led 88-86 after Crowder sank the free throw, but Reggie Jackson wasted little time to tie it back up at 88 with a jumper.
The Celts had the final opportunity to win it after both teams failed to make a field goal in the following two possessions. Evan Turner drove to his right and attempted a mid range jumped that was blocked by Jackson. The game went to overtime with both teams knotted at 88.
In a rather anticlimactic ending, the Pistons opened the extra period on a 9-0 run and the Celtics simply couldn't respond. The team shooting was rough for Boston, who fired just 36.2% from the field and 29.6% from long range.
Evan Turner helped shoulder the scoring load with 23 points (10-21 shooting), 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals. Jae Crowder tallied 19 points on 7-16 shooting with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block, and Brandon Bass finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Despite corralling 9 rebounds and tacking on 5 assists and 2 blocks, Kelly Olynyk really struggled to find his shot (1-9 from the field).
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the way for Detroit with 27 points (10-20), 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Recent trade-deadline acquisition Reggie Jackson flirted with a triple double posting 17 points (5-13), 11 assists and 9 rebounds.
Here's a look at the final box score for Boston:
The Celtics (30-39) take on the Nets (29-39) at 7:30 tomorrow night in Brooklyn.
Photo courtesy of Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
