NEW YORK – The Detroit Pistons were not supposed to be the top team in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics were supposed to be in a transition year after shedding salary last off-season.
Instead, they currently hold the top two spots in the standings. They will have a showdown in Detroit on Jan 19 (Jan 20, Singapore time).
The Pistons reached the 30-win mark by pummeling the undermanned Indiana Pacers on Saturday, 121-78. They have won five of their last six games.
The Celtics hit the midway point of the season with 26 victories by clobbering the Atlanta Hawks on Jan 17, 132-106. They have won seven of their last 10 games.
The Pistons jumped to a 24-2 lead over the Pacers and never looked back. Indiana sat out most of their regulars due to injuries or simply to rest players in the second game of a back-to-back.
“The approach they came with (Saturday), I thought was great,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “You know, making the switch late, figuring out who was going to play, who wasn’t going to play for them. But then having a professional approach, and that’s pretty consistent for our guys. Playing to our identity. So, I was proud of that.”
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson and Javonte Green had 16 points apiece as the Pistons led by as many as 46 points.
“I think for the NBA in general, these games when the top players aren’t playing, are the hardest,” Green said. “We just came in with the focus of playing Pistons’ basketball for 48 minutes.”
Detroit will certainly have fresh legs for their matchup against Boston. None of the players logged more than 24 minutes on Jan 17.
Jaylen Brown continued to play at a Most Valuable Player level against the Hawks, pouring in 41 points. He is averaging 29.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
“When we’re playing in sync and are in alignment, we’re kind of tough to stop,” Brown said.
Boston led by as many as 43 points in the fourth quarter. Sam Hauser had a career night, firing in 10 3-pointers on his first 15 attempts to finish with 30 points.
“Everything you put up, it just feels like it’s going to go in or it’s going to feel really good,” Hauser said. “And that’s just kind of how it was (Saturday),” Hauser said.
The Pistons have already faced the Celtics three times this season with Detroit leading the series 2-1. Detroit won the first matchup 119-113 at home on Oct 26. Host Boston avenged that loss with a 117-114 triumph on Nov 26, but the Pistons came away with a 112-105 win in Boston on Dec 15.
In all three games, the team’s top players have shined. Cunningham is averaging 33 points against Boston while Brown is averaging 36 points.
Detroit’s Bickerstaff and Boston’s Joe Mazzulla are prime candidates for Coach of the Year honours.
“I’m excited to just be a part of this team and be a part of this organisation,” Bickerstaff said.
Mazzulla wants his surprising club to continue its even-keeled approach, regardless of how it played the previous game.
“That’s the goal (on Jan 18),” Mazzulla said. “We land, we go to film, and we’ve got to get better.”
Meanwhile, in on-court action in the NBA on Jan 18, after making a strong impact in his return from a six-game absence in the Jan 18 126-109 win over the Orlando Magic, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant made it clear he wants to stay with Memphis.
“I’ve got a (Grizzlies) logo on my back, so that should tell you exactly where I want to be,” Morant said after the game in London. “If anybody in (the locker room) knows me, I’m a very loyal guy.”
The two-time All-Star has been the subject of trade rumours.
In Houston, Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 18 points to pass Dirk Nowitzki and move into sixth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Durant made two free throws with 15.2 seconds left in Houston’s 119-110 home win over the New Orleans Pelicans. That increased his career point total to 31,562. Nowitzki, the former Dallas Mavericks star, had 31,560 during his stellar career. REUTERS
NBABasketball playersBoston CelticsHouston RocketsKevin Durant