Tatum scores 37 points and Celtics hold to beat stubborn Pistons 124-118

(AP) — Jayson Tatum scored six of his 37 points in the final 65 seconds and the Boston Celtics held on for a 124-118 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.

The Celtics led by as many as 23 points in the first half, but trailed for much of the third quarter. Jrue Holiday tied the game with back-to-back 3-pointers, and Tatum put the Celtics up 116-114 by hitting a pair of free throws with 1:05 left.

The Pistons missed two shots on the ensuing possession and Tatum’s jumper made it 118-114 with 29 seconds left.

Malik Beasley’s 3-pointer pulled Detroit within one, but Derrick White hit two free throws and Boston clinched the game from the line.

Jaylen Brown had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Boston. Jaden Ivey had 26 points for Detroit while Cade Cunningham finished with 21 points and 10 assists.

Takeaways

Celtics: Boston started the game looking like they would break the NBA record of 29 3-pointers they tied on Tuesday against the Knicks. They had 15 in the first 18 minutes of the game, building a 64-44 lead. In the next 18 minutes, they went 4 of 14 on 3s.

Pistons: A young team could have rolled over when they were getting blown out by the defending champions, but Detroit outshot Boston 59.1% to 33.3% in a 31-point third quarter. But they couldn’t create good shots down the stretch.

Key Moment

After cutting Detroit’s lead to 110-106 with 8:16 left, the Celtics failed to score on their next six possessions until Holiday hit a 3-pointer with 3:32 to play. However, the Pistons only scored two points in the stretch.

Key Stat

The Pistons led 110-106 with 8:16 to play, but only scored eight more points.

Up Next

The Celtics play host to the Milwaukee Bucks while the Pistons face the Heat in Miami on Monday night.