Celtics reserve Baylor Scheierman gave the Celtics a big lift in the first half, hitting 5 out of 6 shots.
Celtics reserve Baylor Scheierman gave the Celtics a big lift in the first half, hitting 5 out of 6 shots.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
For much of the past decade, Pistons’ trips to TD Garden generally provided a respite for the Celtics. But that is not the case anymore. On Wednesday night, Detroit came to Boston sitting comfortably atop the Eastern Conference with a 13-game winning streak that is tied for the longest in franchise history.
This time, the Celtics were the ones tasked with finding a way against a seemingly superior opponent.
It required a scorching night from the 3-point line, as well as some good fortune when Pistons star Cade Cunningham missed a potentially game-tying free throw with 4.4 seconds left after a controversial foul call, but the Celtics eventually secured a 117-114 win and snapped Detroit’s streak.
The Pistons trailed by 3 when Cunningham rushed upcourt. He was fouled by Jordan Walsh after he crossed midcourt, and the closest official initially ruled it a non-shooting foul. But after discussion among all three officials, it was ruled a shooting foul, giving Cunningham three free throws. He hit the first two, but missed the third, putting a sour end to his 42-point night.
Jaylen Brown had 33 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Celtics, and Derrick White poured in 25 of his 27 points in the second half. Boston was 20 for 43 from the 3-point line (46.5 percent).
The Pistons gobbled up 21 offensive rebounds and scored 27 second-chance points, but they could not grab the most important one when Cunningham’s late free throw slid off the rim.
Back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth by Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons gave the Celtics a 92-85 lead, their largest. But the Pistons responded with a 12-1 burst that was capped by a Caris LeVert 3-pointer.
After a Cunningham basket gave the Pistons a 101-100 lead with 4:10 left, the Celtics answered with a Brown runner and White 3-pointer. With the score tied at 105, Brown converted a 3-point play with 1:37 left.
But the Pistons continued to dominate the offensive glass and gathered two boards on the ensuing trip, leading to Cunningham’s free throws.
White’s 3-pointer was answered by a Harris 3-pointer, and Brown’s miss gave the Pistons a chance. Cunningham air-balled a potential go-ahead 3-pointer, but Ausar Thompson grabbed the rebound and the Pistons called timeout with 17.9 seconds to play.
But as Cunningham probed for an opening near the top of the key, Walsh helped knock the ball out of bounds off of him. White was fouled and hit two free throws to make it 113-110 with 9.9 seconds left.
The Celtics intentionally fouled Cunningham to avoid a game-tying 3-pointer, and he hit both free throws.
Boston was unable to get the ball in after a timeout, so it burned its final timeout. They had just as much trouble the second time, and White’s pass was deflected before the Celtics were fortunate to recover the loose ball, and Simons hit both free throws.
The Pistons were out of timeouts and had to go the length of the court. Cunningham got some momentum going toward the hoop and Walsh reached out and fouled him as he began to fire up a shot.
The Garden crowd was irate when it turned into a shooting foul that instantly flipped what looked like a surefire win into something much more uncertain. But Cunningham could not make all three.
Payton Pritchard stretched the lead to 3 with a pair of free throws, and Walsh intercepted a pass on the final play, allowing the Celtics to escape.
With Neemias Queta out with a sprained ankle, Luka Garza started at center for Boston. But his first-half opportunities were fleeting, limited to one five-minute stint.
Instead, coach Joe Mazzulla mostly turned to rookie two-way contract player Amari Williams, who had played just seven minutes all season entering Wednesday. Mazzulla clearly wanted the 6-11, 250-pound Williams to mirror the minutes of the burly Pistons big man, Jalen Duren.
Duren had 12 points and 16 rebounds.
The Celtics started just 1 for 11 from the field, with Brown’s struggles at the forefront. Much like in matchups against the Heat in years past, Brown looked to exploit his apparent mismatch against wing Duncan Robinson. But his 1 for 9 start minimized the effectiveness of that approach.
With the Celtics trailing, 26-16, Baylor Scheierman came off the bench and provided an essential lift. He closed the opening quarter with a 3-pointer and a floater, then started the second with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer and a runner that capped a 17-4 run and gave Boston a 33-30 lead.
Scheierman was 5 for 6 from the field in the first half while the rest of the team went just 14 for 43.
Brown was finally able to shake off his rough beginning with a powerful end to the quarter, though. He hit a 3-pointer, converted a 3-point play, and shook Robinson for consecutive mid-range baskets.
It looked like Scheierman would stake the Celtics to a 2-point halftime lead when he hit another corner 3 with 3.8 seconds left. But the Pistons, who missed open 3-pointers for most of the half, made the most unlikely one when Thompson pulled up for a 35-footer at the buzzer to send his team to the break with a 58-57 lead.
The Celtics had a shaky start to the third quarter. They committed an 8-second violation on their first possession, then nearly let the shot clock run out on their second.
But White, who was 0 for 3 from the field in the first half, provided an important lift. He hit a pull-up 3-pointer and converted a putback dunk to give Boston a 67-61 lead. He added two more 3-pointers and was fouled on another with 0.3 seconds left. The ensuing free throws sent Boston to the fourth with an 86-83 advantage.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.