The Celtics dropped their second straight game on Monday night, losing 112-105 to the Pistons at TD Garden.
Boston led by as many as 12 points early against the East’s top team but struggled offensively in the final three quarters, mustering 24 points in each of the final three frames against a physical Pistons defense.
Jaylen Brown led the way again for the Celtics with a game-high 34 points and also finished with a team-high in rebounds (8) and assists (7). Derrick White also chipped in with 31 points including \`14 in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough against the top team in the East.
Cade Cunningham finished with a double-double for the visitors, posting 32 points and 10 assists despite sitting out a chunk of the fourth quarter with foul trouble.
The loss drops Boston to 15-11 on the season, dropping them into a tie for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics now get three more days of rest before returning to the Garden on Friday night to host the Miami Heat.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ loss on Monday night:
**Jaylen Brown feasts against Pistons weak spots early:** The Celtics star has been an elite shooter from inside the arc this year, and that trend continues against the Pistons. The All-Star erupted for a game-high 18 points in the first half on 8-of-11 shooting from 2-point range as he took advantage of switches against Pistons defenders like Duncan Robinson and Isaiah Stewart repeatedly. Brown also dished out five assists before intermission, helping Boston’s offense post 57 points and gain an early lead despite a tough shooting performance from 3-point range (26.3 percent). Brown finished with 34 points and now has now scored 30 or more points in five straight games.
**Hugo Gonzalez gets a bigger opportunity:** The rookie wing was the first player off the bench for Joe Mazzulla and also saw the start in the second half with Jordan Walsh battling foul trouble. It was a mixed bag for the 19-year-old who made some heady plays offensively but also dealt with some foul trouble himself (4 fouls in 17 minutes). Good things continue with him on the court as he sports the best net rating among Celtics rotation players this year. He was a team-best plus-9 on Monday night.
**A lengthy 3-point shooting drought sidetracks Boston’s offense:** The shots led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter after a hot start from 3-point range (5-of-11). From there, Boston’s couldn’t buy a bucket from beyond the arc, going 1-of-18 from 3-point range over the middle two quarters. The loss of Sam Hauser to an ankle injury in the first half did not help on this front as Boston’s reserves went a combined 1-of-10 from 3-point range in the middle two quarters. Boston’s offense managed to stay afloat with their shotmaking inside the arc and getting to the free throw line but the long drought led to the team’s double-digit first-half lead disappearing entirely. The Celtics shot just 10-of-39 from 3-point range in the loss, one of their five worst shooting nights of the year from deep.
**Rebounding looms large yet again:** The Pistons destroyed Boston on the glass in their first two matchups this season and that trend continued on Monday night. The hosts seemingly wore down on the defensive glass as the game dragged on, as the Pistons piled up 16 second-chance points on 12 offensive rebounds. The extra chances helped the visitors seize control of the game in the fourth quarter with Boston’s offense struggling to score at their usual rate.