BOSTON – Heading into Wednesday’s game against Detroit, there was more at stake for the Boston Celtics than an opportunity to pad their win total.
Jared Sullinger said he and his teammates approached the matchup as a must-win game, knowing how it could potentially hurt them if they lost and with that defeat, lose out on the head-to-head series.
But the Celtics came through with yet another strong performance at the TD Garden as they led wire-to-wire in knocking off the Pistons 102-95.
With the win, Boston has evened the series at two games apiece which could become an important factor if the two teams finished with the same regular season record.
“It’s about (winning) series at this point, especially against a team like that that’s fighting for a playoff spot,” Sullinger told CSNNE.com. “If we happen to slip and fall down (in the Eastern Conference standings), this could be huge.”
Boston (29-22) is currently tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the third-best record in the East, although the Hawks would win the tie-breaker if the season ended today.
Meanwhile, the Pistons (26-24) fall to the eighth and final playoff spot where they are ½ game behind the Indiana Pacers and 1 ½ games ahead of Charlotte.
Boston Celtics
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Wednesday’s game:
STARS
Isaiah Thomas
There have been a number of games this season where Thomas has had better numbers, but this was one of his more complete performances this season. He led the Celtics with 17 points along with seven assists and five rebounds. Just as important was his defense. His defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 84.5 was third on the team behind Kelly Olynyk (67.0) and Marcus Smart (77.2).
Andre Drummond
You know you’re having an all-star season when you can have a double-double of 16 points (on 6-for-11 shooting) along with 13 rebounds and it be considered a not-so-great night. The former UConn star is that good … really.
STUDS
Marcus Smart
His defense was impressive once again, but it was Smart’s clutch shooting from 3-point range that really stood out on Wednesday. He finished with 12 points off the bench which include a 3-pointer with less than a minute to play that gave Boston a double-digit lead.
Reggie Jackson
The former Boston College star had an extremely efficient game, scoring 17 points on just 5-for-9 shooting from the floor. Jackson also dished out seven assists and had one blocked shot.
Evan Turner
The fourth quarter assassin struck once again. The NBA’s leader in assists off the bench had another one of those solid, do-a-little-bit-of-everything kind of games for Boston. He finished with 14 points on 4-for-8 shooting, along with six rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots.
Avery Bradley
Strong starts are a common occurrence for Avery Bradley who had seven of his 15 points on Wednesday in the first quarter. Bradley also had four rebounds and three assists.
DUDS
Brandon Jennings
The Pistons rely on him to be instant offense for them, something he provided very little of on Wednesday. He missed six of his eight shots from the field, finishing with just five points while racking up a team-worst plus/minus of -14.