The Boston Celtics dug themselves a massive hole in their first game of 2021 and couldn't quite climb out of it.
The Celtics overcame a 21-point first-half deficit against the winless Pistons in Detroit but fell short in the fourth quarter in a 96-93 loss.
Jayson Tatum (game-high 28 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks) and Jaylen Brown (25 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals) led the way for the C's, but both missed 3-pointers in the game's final minute as the Pistons escaped with their first win of the season.
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Forsberg's early takeaways through five Celtics games
Boston's disappointing loss snaps a two-game losing streak and drops Brad Stevens' club to 3-3 on the season, while Detroit improves to 1-4 thanks to Jerami Grant's team-high 24 points.
The Celtics get another crack at the Pistons on Sunday afternoon.
Here's a recap of the Celtics' loss in Detroit:
Boston Celtics
FINAL SCORE: Pistons 96, Celtics 93
CELTICS RECORD: 3-3
HIGHLIGHTS
We'd be remiss if we didn't show Grant's absolute hammer on Daniel Theis early in the game:
After an abysmal first quarter, Jeff Teague got the Celtics' offense going in the second by finding Theis for the slam on the pick-and-roll.
The Celtics also turned up the defensive intensity in the second quarter, with a Marcus Smart steal leading to a Tatum layup at the other end.
Brown got in on the defense-into-offense trend in the second quarter with this nice sequence:
There's a reason why Brown is one of the best-two way players in the game. Here he is blocking Grant and getting a bucket on the other end on a strong drive to the hoop:
Tatum showed off his passing ability late in the third quarter with this beautiful dime to Grant Williams:
Robert Williams delivered a huge block early in the fourth quarter, then finished the possession strong by snagging the rebound:
UP NEXT:
Sunday, Jan. 3: Celtics at Pistons, 3 p.m. ET