The Detroit Pistons (20-16) defeated the Boston Celtics (19-16) 99-94 on Wednesday.
Detroit pulled out the impressive road victory by dominating the Celtics in the fourth quarter, an unlikely scenario considering how the Boston defense had effectively stymied them over the first three periods. The Pistons trailed 75-66 entering the final 12 minutes, but were able to prevail on the offensive efforts of Reggie Jackson (nine points) and Andre Drummond (six points) while turning the tables on the home team by limiting them to 19 points with outstanding defense.
The Pistons were led by Jackson's game-high 24 points, and he added six assists and a pair of rebounds. It was Jackson's third double-digit scoring game against Boston this season, and the second of those three contests where he's scored over 20 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made it a strong night for the Detroit backcourt by tallying 20 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Andre Drummond had a rare sub-par outing, managing 13 points, five rebounds, a pair of steals and a pair of blocks. Stanley Johnson was outstanding off the bench, posting an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double over just 23 minutes to lead the Pistons' reserves.
The Pistons improved to 20-16 and remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They head home to face the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
Boston enjoyed a stellar night from their starting five, and Isaiah Thomas led the way with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double, his second outstanding game against the Pistons this season. Evan Turner had another solid effort in place of Avery Bradley (hip), tallying 17 points and hauling in six boards. Amir Johnson and Jae Crowder pitched in with a pair of 16-point efforts, with the former making it a double-double by posting 11 rebounds, and the latter adding four rebounds and a pair of steals. Kelly Olynyk contributed 10 points, five rebounds and four assists to round things out for the front-line players, and Jared Sullinger led the reserves with eight points.
The Celtics fell to 19-16 and remain in second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Chicago take on the Bulls on Thursday.
