Celtics and Pistons takeaways: C's survive 23-point comeback and remain undefeated

Celtics-Pistons takeaways: C's survive 23-point comeback to remain undefeated originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

What you should know

• Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 37 points for the second time in three games.

• The Celtics led by as many as 23 points and held off a late push by the Pistons in the second half.

• Jrue Holiday caused a timely stir with two consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

• The Celtics are back in action next Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET against the Bucks at TD Garden.

The Boston Celtics remained undefeated on Saturday night, defeating the Detroit Pistons on the road 124-118 after blowing a 23-point lead.

Boston got off to another hot start, outscoring Detroit 42-31 behind Jayson Tatum's quick breakout. Al Horford also got going early after several scoring opportunities.

The score was 73-62 at halftime, with Tatum leading the way with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting (5-for-10 from distance). Horford added 17 points on 5-for-8 3-point shooting while Jaylen Brown scored 14 points. Payton Pritchard made an impact off the bench with 16 points on 4-for-6 3-point shooting.

Boston led by 23 points after five minutes of the second quarter, but Detroit capitalized on a sensational run and led 88-86 late in the third quarter, its first lead of the game.

The Celtics managed to close out the third game 94-93, but it was anything but pretty as the hot shooting dried up. Brown, in particular, struggled to find his footing as he shot 6-for-20 and Jrue Holiday had yet to make a field goal.

But after trailing 112-106 in the fourth, Boston found a way through Holiday and made the late free throw game to remain undefeated 3-0. Detroit, led by Jaden Ivey's efficient 26 points, fell to 0-3 despite better bench performance.

The Milwaukee Bucks play next Monday. Here are three takeaways from the Celtics' win over the Pistons:

Jayson Tatum achieves his season best and continues his good form

Tatum had a good run to start the 2024/25 season and scored 37 and 25 points in the last two games.

In that game he set his season high of 37, making 12 of 26 field goals (6-for-13 from distance) and 7-for-9 from the foul line.

As Brown struggled to gain momentum on offense, Tatum took control and scored the game-winning baskets down the stretch.

Tatum has been criticized in the past for sometimes fading into the background and allowing plays to have no impact, but that hasn't been the case so far this season.

The Celtics show winning mentality after blowing a big lead

Joe Mazzulla is one of the best in the business for a reason. The Celtics appeared to be on their way to a comfortable double-digit win early in the third quarter, but Detroit showed they weren't going to give up easily.

The Celtics had no choice but to watch as the Pistons stormed back and even built a six-point lead in the fourth quarter.

However, the Celtics showed why they are the reigning champions. Despite the missed chances and missed throws, they kept a cool head and concentrated on gradually getting back into the game.

That patience paid off in the end, as Tatum and Derrick White chipped in on both ends of the floor to tie the game after taking a late lead.

After a quiet start, Jrue Holiday made a timely impact

Holiday went three quarters without a field goal and only scored one point in the fourth quarter.

But when the star point guard made his only two field goals of the game, it was arguably those that helped Boston win.

After being outnumbered 112-106, Holiday hit back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game.

Detroit no longer led from that moment on. It's the second game in a row where Holiday only scored seven points, but without those six, this game could have turned out differently.