Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 32 points, but missed the game's final shot in a 104-103 loss to the Pistons Monday.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 32 points, but missed the game's final shot in a 104-103 loss to the Pistons Monday.Duane Burleson/Associated Press
DETROIT — At the start of this season, the Cavaliers and Knicks were viewed as the favorites in the Eastern Conference, with plenty of question marks below them. But with the season now at its midway point, two teams have somewhat improbably emerged at the top.
The first-place Pistons are a young team still learning what success looks like. The second-place Celtics are a veteran squad that was supposed to be decimated by notable departures and Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury.
But now they are considered the conference’s top contenders, and on Monday night, they met for the fourth time this season in a tense, physical game that could have been a playoff preview.
The teams traded big shots and big stops throughout a tense second half, and the Pistons eventually held on for a 104-103 win when Jaylen Brown’s potential game-winner caromed high off the back of the rim and off just before the final buzzer.
Brown, who was named an All-Star starter earlier in the day, had 32 points and 11 rebounds, but made just 11 of 28 shots. Boston shot 39.8 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from the 3-point line.
Tobias Harris had 25 points to lead the Pistons. Cade Cunningham, who was also named an All-Star starter Monday, had 16 points and 14 assists but was held to 4 of 17 shooting.
After the Celtics wiped away an early 10-point third-quarter deficit with a 9-0 run, the teams spent most of the half trading punches in a one-possession game.
Duncan Robinson, the only Pistons shooter to find success beyond the arc, hit one with 6:20 left to give Detroit a 96-91 edge, the largest second-half lead for either team since the opening minutes of the third.
But it quickly shrunk back to a one-possession game and stayed there. A Tobias Harris 3-pointer from the left corner gave the Pistons a 104-99 lead with 1:37 left. But Brown answered with a layup, and after Cunningham missed a 3-pointer, a Brown floater pulled Boston within 104-103 with 45.1 seconds left.
Harris missed a 3-pointer at the other end before the Pistons tracked down the rebound, but Cunningham’s second try was off, and the Celtics got the ball back with 4.4 seconds left and called timeout.
Brown took the inbounds pass and swirled into a tough, contested 15-foot fadeaway. But it bounced high off the back of the rim and off.
The Pistons left the Celtics some space on the perimeter at the start, and Boston capitalized. Sam Hauser pump-faked and stepped into a 3-pointer before Payton Pritchard faced no resistance while drilling one from the top of the key.
With 8:35 left, Brown and Isaiah Stewart tangled while running upcourt. The play was reviewed and the players received offsetting technical fouls. But the moment appeared to energize Brown.
Over the next few minutes he converted a left-handed layup over Stewart, spun through the lane and drew a foul, hit a 3-pointer, and converted a 18-foot pull-up that gave Boston a 26-22 lead.
It looked like it might turn into another loud half for Brown, but his impact was minimized the rest of the way, including a 1 for 5 second quarter.
Both teams shot just 33.3 percent in the opening quarter, and the Pistons’ long-range struggles were particularly glaring. The Pistons started just 1 for 12 from beyond the arc, with several ugly misses that never had a chance.
Still, the grisly shooting did not lead to a big deficit. And in the second quarter the Pistons roared back by imposing their physicality. Stewart swatted away a Neemias Queta dunk attempt, Cunningham turned Jordan Walsh back at the rim, and Ausar Thompson swallowed up a Pritchard 3-point try, eventually finishing the ensuing fast break with a dunk. The Pistons had six steals and five blocked shots in the first half.
Dawg Pound behavior... https://t.co/BE0qyTYi6N pic.twitter.com/OjJTyIyr2D
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) January 20, 2026
And once their 3-pointers started falling, the deficit quickly flipped into a meaningful lead. Robinson hit a pair, the second coming after he saved a loose ball by flipping it over his head before darting to the right corner for the shot that gave the Pistons a 54-46 lead.
At the other end, Brown looked to hunt switches against Robinson, a tradition dating back to Robinson’s days with the Heat. But the Pistons guard held his ground and welcomed the help when it was needed. Detroit took a 59-51 lead to the break and held a 30-14 edge in paint points.
The Pistons took a 10-point lead on the opening possession of the third quarter, but it did not last. The Celtics went on a quick 9-0 run that included two 3-pointers by Hauser and one by Pritchard. Boston hit 6 of 11 3-pointers in the period. When the Pistons overplayed Hauser on the perimeter he slid into the lane and scored to give Boston a 63-62 lead.
But his scoring momentum was halted when he picked up his fourth foul with 8:56 left in the third and had to sit for the rest of the period. The teams mostly traded baskets over the next nine minutes, with Robinson’s 3-point shooting and Harris’s post-ups boosting the Pistons, and Pritchard’s physical drives keeping Boston afloat.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.