Depleted Pistons struggle at home against Celtics, lose 129-102

Detroit — The Boston Celtics have had the Pistons' number over the last two years as winners of eight consecutive games in the series history since Feb. 16, 2022.

It appears as if that dominance will continue until at least next season. The Celtics took advantage of a depleted Pistons team on Friday and dealt Detroit a 129-102 loss at Little Caesars Arena to sweep the three-game season series. Jaylen Brown led Boston for the second time in five days with a game-high 31 points while missing just three shots on the night.

The story was similar to Monday's lopsided loss at Boston. It rained 3-pointers once again as the Celtics connected on 16-of-45 from beyond the arc (34.9%). It's one thing to allow your opponent to make shots from the perimeter at a high rate, but you'd better have some 3-point shooting of your own. The Pistons did not. Detroit only made nine of its 31 attempts from beyond the arc for 29%.

The Pistons were already shorthanded without five players due to injury, but they were dealt another blow shortly before tipoff when it was announced that Jalen Duren would miss the game due to back spasms.

James Wiseman received his first start of the season as a result. Not only did he hold his own against Boston's thin frontcourt, but he was Detroit's leading scorer and rebounder with a season-high 24 points, nine boards and four assists. Wiseman only missed two of his 13 attempts from the field.

BOX SCORE: Celtics 129, Pistons 102

“I’m taking it one day at a time," Wiseman said. "I’ve been going through a lot of peaks and valleys this year, but I really just want to keep my head up and just take advantage of the opportunities by going out there and giving it my best. I want to win, that’s all I care about. The stats and stuff don’t really matter, I want to go out there and do my job and do as best as I can and make sure I give us the best chance to win.”

Pistons coach Monty Williams was asked about the team's lack of firepower because of the injuries, but wouldn't use it as an excuse.

"I can't concede that," Williams said. "It's not in my DNA. I wouldn't be here if I woke up thinking another person was just better than me because I have just as much time in the day as they have. I have opportunities to prep. I have everything I need to be successful so I'm not going to use that. We showed in the first quarter and a little bit in the third that we could compete. We just had two tough quarters."

The Pistons scored just 19 points each in the second and fourth quarters. Boston scored 35 and 25 in those quarters, respectively.

Jaden Ivey added 16 points and four assists. Cade Cunningham totaled 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. Tosan Evbuomwan had 14 points and eight rebounds. Two-way guard Jared Rhoden played his first game for the Pistons since Feb. 8 and had nine points and four rebounds off the bench. Marcus Sasser chipped in eight points and six assists.

Cunningham appeared quite meticulous to begin the game. He was patient with his reads and intent on initiating Detroit's offense the right way. He shot the ball when needed, which was apparent by his two midrange jumpers in the first quarter that came within the flow of the offense. He picked up two early fouls, but prioritized getting Wiseman involved early, just as he routinely does with Duren.

Brown knocked down three triples on Friday night, but he wasn't as potent of a perimeter threat as Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser. The two accounted for eight of Boston's 15 3-pointers. Pritchard had 20 points and nine assists. Hauser had 14 points and four rebounds. Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis had 19 points each.

The Pistons will look to snap their budding streak in a Sunday matinee against the New Orleans Pelicans. They're not the Celtics, but they're currently positioned as the fifth-best team in the Western Conference.

mcurtis@detroitnews.com

@MikeACurtis2