Pistons push Celtics to OT, but tie NBA record with 28 straight overall losses

Boston — Two nights after setting the record for the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history, the lowly-Pistons descended upon Beantown for their greatest challenge of the season.

It was their first nationally televised game of the season after the previous two were removed from NBA TV, and with the entire country watching, Detroit's young roster squandered a first-half, 19-point lead but showed enough resilience in the fourth quarter to force a veteran Boston Celtics team into a crucial overtime period.

When the Pistons needed them most, Bojan Bogdanovic and Jaden Ivey delivered several shots in the clutch to keep their team's hopes alive, but the Celtics made the plays that ultimately mattered in the final two minutes of the game to beat the Pistons, 128-122, on Thursday night.

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday baited Jaden Ivey into a sixth and disqualifying foul with 2:13 left in overtime. It was a 3-point play, which was followed by a heartbreaking 3-pointer by Boston guard Derrick White, which resulted in roars from the fans inside TD Garden. Those cheers grew louder as Kristaps Porzingis threw down a two-handed dunk in transition to give the Celtics a comfortable six-point lead and enough breathing room to end Detroit's night with another loss.

Thursday's loss was the 28th straight defeat for Detroit, which tied the record for the NBA's longest overall losing streak — originally set over two seasons by the Philadelphia 76ers between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

After a shockingly impressive first-half performance that gave the Pistons a 19-point halftime advantage, Detroit blew its comfortable lead with turnovers and poor shooting to allow the Celtics to tie the game going into the fourth quarter. What should've been an opportunity to capture the first win in exactly two months quickly turned into a battle for survival as the Pistons found themselves down by one point with three minutes left.

BOX SCORE: Celtics 128, Pistons 122 (OT)

Timely baskets by Porzingis, who scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, helped Boston overcome the Pistons.

The loss didn't come without a bit of drama in the final moments of the fourth quarter. Ivey scored six straight points to tie the game at 106, but Jayson Tatum received the benefit of a goaltending violation as Cade Cunningham blocked his layup off the glass. Pistons coach Monty Williams challenged the call but it was unsuccessful, giving the Celtics a two-point lead with eight seconds remaining.

More:Pistons look to get bench boost to help end losing streak

With one final shot to tie or take the lead, the Pistons chose to inbound the ball to Cunningham, who took an off-balance 3-pointer and missed, but Bogdanovic was there to lay the ball in off the putback. With a tie game with 4.6 left, Jayson Tatum had an opportunity to win the game at the buzzer but missed a turnaround midrange shot.

Cunningham, who scored a team-high 31 points, was magnificent in the first 12 minutes of the game, but struggled to find that same rhythm for the rest of the game.

The Pistons entered the game as 17-point underdogs and losers of 27 consecutive games, but none of that mattered once the ball was tipped. Cunningham picked up where he left off from Tuesday's 41-point outburst against the Brooklyn Nets and aggressively attacked Boston's interior defense.

The sea of Celtics fans inside TD Garden let out a fierce set of boo's as the halftime buzzer rang as their team trailed by 19 points at the break. It was a result of the Pistons' efficient first half, led by Cunningham, who produced a magnificent 22-point first half.

Boston (23-6), the Pistons' greatest challenge of the season, was without Jaylen Brown due to a low back contusion, but Jayson Tatum was available after being listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain suffered on Christmas Day. Boston attempted 24 three-pointers in the first half and only made four of them, which helped the Pistons build their double-digit lead.

The Celtics adjusted their strategy at halftime and attacked Detroit's thin frontcourt, which was without Isaiah Stewart due to a big toe injury. Boston produced a 15-6 run in the first four minutes of the period to cut Detroit's lead to just 10. Tatum

Cunningham has traditionally had success against the Celtics. He scored 20 or more points in three of four career games against Boston with averages of 19 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The only time Cunningham didn't score double digits was his last time playing at TD Garden on Nov. 9, 2022 when he finished with four points on 1-of-11 from the field. It was the final game of his sophomore season before he was shut down due to shin surgery.

The Pistons will return to Detroit to host the Toronto Raptors on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena. Another loss would mark 29 straight, which would give them sole possession of the NBA's longest losing streak in league history.

mcurtis@detroitnews.com

@MikeACurtis2