Celtics 86, Pistons 92

Game Highlights

Photo of the Game

Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace, former teammates in Detroit, say hello to each other prior to Wednesday night's tip-off..
Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty

By Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com

Boston took a solid lead into the locker room at haltime, and yet again they managed to squander it in the second half. After playing a very efficient first half and leading by eight at the break, the Celtics came out of the locker room and looked like a totally different team.

The third quarter was bad, seeing that the C's scored only 13 points, but it was the fourth quarter and another 13 points that did them in.

After Detroit used that dreadful third quarter from the C's to tie the game at 69-69 heading into the final period, they continued their pressure defense and effective offense in the final period. In fact, they even stepped it up a notch. The Pistons held Boston without a point for a stretch of 5:32 in the fourth quarter and scored 13 points of their own in the meantime. The 13-0 run was keyed by Charlie Villanueva's five points and Rodney Stuckey's six points.

The Celtics called a timeout during that stretch, but it didn't slow their opponent down. The Pistons had already gained their confidence back and were ready to roll for the remainder of the game, just as previous opponents have done against Boston in the second half of games during this tough stretch they're in the midst of.

Key Box Score Line

For the second game in a row, an opponent holds down the Key Box Score Line. Tonight, it goes to Rodney Stuckey, who had a great game against a point guard (Rajon Rondo) that is deserving of an All-Star nod this season.

Stuckey recorded game-highs of 27 points and 11 rebounds, with six of those boards coming at the offensive end of the court. He continually broke down Boston's defense and forced them to rotate, and it resulted in six assists off of his fingers. He was easily the best player on the court tonight, and he put the Pistons on his back for a big win against the C's.

Box Score Nuggets

• Rodney Stuckey was the only Piston starter to score more than 12 points.
• Detroit's bench outscored Boston's 43-8.
• Boston scored only 30 points in the second half, which was the same number they scored in the first quarter alone.
• No Celtics bench player recorded more than four points, three rebounds or two assists. Eddie House was the high-man in all of those categories with those exact statistics.
• Rajon Rondo (21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) nearly grabbed another triple-double.
• Paul Pierce scored 17 points in the first quarter, but finished with only 21 in the game.
• The starting frontcourt for Detroit combined to score only 10 points (Ben Wallace six, Jonas Jerebko four, Chris Wilcox zero).
• Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics' leading rebounder, grabbed only four boards tonight.
• Boston outscored Detroit 21-8 in fast break points.
• The Celtics finished with only 16 assists compared to 18 turnovers.
• Ray Allen shot 3-of-10 from the floor.

Quote of the Night

Detroit Pistons Head Coach John Kuester on the disparity between the first and second halves: "I totally believe it was a tale of two halves. Holding a team that is as well-coached and as talented as Boston is to 30 points in the second half was huge."