Andre Drummond was a beast during the first half of Saturday’s matchup between the Celtics and the Pistons in Detroit, tallying 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots all by himself. But it was Boston’s frontcourt that decided the outcome of the game.
The Celtics’ starting frontcourt of Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson and Jared Sullinger took over for a brief stretch of the third quarter to give their team a commanding lead that it would never relinquish. The trio scored 10 of 12 points for Boston during a 12-5 run that led to a 13-point lead and an eventual 99-93 win.
Boston’s run began at the 7:29 mark of the third when Sullinger dropped in a layup off of a dish from Isaiah Thomas. Sullinger would go on to score four more points during the run, all of which came off of layups.
Crowder also drained a layup and Johnson nailed a turnaround hook shot during the run, giving the C’s 10 points in the paint from their frontcourt over a span of just three minutes and nine seconds of action. Thomas scored the other two points during the run by connecting on two free throws.
Boston eventually pulled ahead by as many as 16 and held on for the win in Detroit after a last-minute (literally) surge by the Pistons. The victory avenged a 119-116 loss by the C’s just 10 days prior in the very same arena.
There’s no doubt that Boston’s frontcourt pushed the C’s to a win Saturday night in Detroit. However, the visitors may not have even been in position to grab the win had it not been for Avery Bradley.
Bradley was Boston’s top offensive weapon all night long as he scored 18 points. He scored 15 of those points during the first half on 5-of-9 shooting – good for 55.6 percent – while the rest of his teammates made just 44.7 percent from the floor.
The Celtics ask Bradley to score and defend, which is why he only grabs an average of 2.4 rebounds per game this season. Saturday night, however, he nearly doubled that average by hauling in four boards, which was the second-highest total of any guard in the entire game.
Bradley’s final shooting numbers were 6-of-14 from the field and 3-of-10 from long range. He attempted and made more 3s than any other player in the game and the C’s outscored the Pistons by 13 points while he was on the floor.
Jonas Jerebko give his take on his made jumper with 10.7 seconds left, which thwarted Detroit’s attempted comeback during the final minute of play.
