Killian Hayes knocked down a corner 3 to cut the deficit to seven points. The Detroit Pistons committed a quick foul, and Boston Celtics forward Romeo Langford drew jeers from the crowd after missing both free throws, with the first an airball.
After trailing by 22 points, the Pistons used a 19-4 run to get close in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the effort came too late.
The Pistons couldn’t overcome their worst first half of the season and fell to the Celtics at Little Caesars Arena, 102-93, for their third straight loss. The Pistons were without rookie Cade Cunningham, who missed his second straight game with a right hip pointer.
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Hamidou Diallo and Saddiq Bey each scored 21 to lead the Pistons, Diallo added 14 rebounds, and Isaiah Stewart added six points and grabbed 17 rebounds for his season high. Killian Hayes had 11 points, five rebounds and five assists off the bench. Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 24 points.
The Pistons shot just 32.7% overall, but outscored the Celtics by 13 points during the final 4:20 of the fourth quarter.
Dreadful first half dooms Pistons
Cold starts have been an issue for Detroit during the last week, but Friday was in its own category. The Pistons mustered just 31 points, a season low by a wide margin. Their previous first-half low was 37 against the New York Knicks on Dec. 21.
Across the NBA this season, it was the third-lowest first-half total, behind only the Los Angeles Clippers (28 against the Denver Nuggets) on Jan. 11 and Sacramento Kings (30 against the Celtics) on Jan. 25.
The Pistons also shot a season-low 28.9% (13-for-45) in the half, to go with a season-low three assists. Their leading scorers at halftime? Bey and Jerami Grant, who each had five points.
The Celtics initially weren’t able to capitalize much on Detroit’s poor play, and a 15-7 Pistons run cut Boston’s lead to 10 points, 57-47, midway through the third quarter. But Tatum erupted for 19 points in the third, including back-to-back 3s tobuild Boston’s lead back to 16.
Diallo, Hayes shine during loss
If it weren’t for Diallo’s third quarter, the Pistons might’ve lost by a significantly bigger margin. He scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds during the period, and gave the Pistons a jolt of energy with his rebounding, rim pressure and hustle.
Diallo was re-inserted into the starting lineup Friday as Cunningham out again. Diallo has been one of the Pistons’ biggest bright spots this season, and Friday was a reminder of how he’s able to impose his willwith his athleticism.
Hayes also had a good outing and helped power the Pistons to their late run. He had a clutch 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to go with four makes in seven shots inside the arc. Hayes has subtly improved in his ability to get to the rim over the past month. During one fourth-quarter drive, he went the length of the floor and used hesitations to get defenders off-balance and find a lane to the basket.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can gain access to our most exclusive Pistons content. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.