Pistons set record with 28th different player in lineup, lose 119-94 in Boston

A road game against the best team in the NBA on the second night of a back-to-back is anything less than ideal, but the Pistons were faced with that challenge on Monday against the Boston Celtics.

Not to mention, Detroit was shorthanded without four rotation players, highlighted by Cade Cunningham and Simone Fontecchio — who started the last four games in place of Ausar Thompson.

The odds were stacked against the Pistons and the Celtics' elite shooting behind the back of Jaylen Brown proved too much to overcome. Detroit (12-55) suffered a 119-94 loss, which extended its skid to three games. It was the first of two matchups against the Celtics this week since Boston will visit Little Caesars Arena on Friday.

Boston also played with a thin roster without All-Star forward Jayson Tatum due to a right ankle sprain. Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Sam Houser also missed the game due to various injuries. Despite the lack of depth, the Celtics had just enough firepower behind Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and Payton Pritchard.

Brown exploded for a game-high 31 points and five rebounds. He scored 14 of those points in the third quarter, which allowed Boston to lead by as many as 26 points in that period. White recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, doing most of his damage early with five first-half 3-pointers. Porzingis added 20 points and eight rebounds. Pritchard had a late surge with three triples in the fourth quarter and finished with 23 points and seven assists.

BOX SCORE: Celtics 119, Pistons 94

Boston entered the game on a seven-game home win streak, beating opponents by an average of 26.9 points. The margin was 25 on Monday, which allowed Brown to rest for the entire fourth quarter.

Pistons rookie Marcus Sasser was a starter for the first time in his career, joining Jaden Ivey, Stanley Umude, Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren. Ivey finished with a team-high 21 points and five rebounds. Malachi Flynn, who played key minutes for the first time since Feb. 27, scored 11 points off the bench. Two-way forward Tosan Evbuomwan also had 11 points.

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Duren had eight points and nine rebounds. Sasser totaled eight points and six assists. Umude, who was also a first-time starter, chipped in 10 points and six rebounds.

Monday's game also marked Taj Gibson's debut in a Pistons uniform. The veteran center signed a 10-day contract with the team on March 6 and signed a deal to remain with the Pistons for the rest of the season on Saturday.

He entered the game at the 1:09 mark of the first quarter for Stewart and started the second half. The substitution made history as Gibson became the 28th different player to appear in a game this season for the Pistons, a new franchise record.

The previous record was 27, which occurred during the 2021-22 season. It also tied for the fourth-most in NBA history. Gibson is the 54th player to take the court as a Piston over the past three seasons. He totaled three points, two rebounds and one steal.

Stewart did not return to the game in the second half due to right hamstring soreness, making the Pistons' injury report even longer. He grabbed a rebound in the second quarter and grabbed his leg upon landing, while wincing.

Both teams could look much different when they meet again on Friday, especially if Cunningham, Stewart, Thompson and Fontecchio are cleared to play.

mcurtis@detroitnews.com

@MikeACurtis2