Celtics 98, Pistons 93: Jeff Green scored 13 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter as host Boston held off Detroit and clinched a postseason berth.
Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece and the Celtics shot 50.7 percent to offset the Pistons' dominance on the backboards. The win moved Boston 2 1/2 games in front of eighth-place Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference.
Greg Monroe had 24 points and 17 rebounds for Detroit, which stormed back from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter before falling to 3-17 in their last 20 games.
Boston was coasting with a 74-56 lead before the Pistons closed the third quarter on an 11-0 run to pull within 74-67 entering the final 12 minutes.
Detroit cut the deficit to three points before Green scored six to push the lead back out. The Pistons rallied again and got within 93-91 before Green knocked down a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left for a 96-91 edge.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Avery Bradley scored 11 points and Jason Terry added 10 to help Boston wrap up its sixth straight playoff berth. ... Rookie Andre Drummond and Charlie Villanueva had nine rebounds each as Detroit manhandled the Celtics on the glass 52-34. ... The Celtics halted a four-game losing streak at the hands of the Pistons.
Detroit | Boston | |
Greg Monroe 24 | Scoring | Jeff Green 34 |
Charlie Villanueva 5 | Assists | Paul Pierce 5 |
Greg Monroe 17 | Rebounds | Brandon Bass 7 |
Rodney Stuckey 11 | Free Throws Made | Paul Pierce 6 |
Jonas Jerebko 3 | Steals | Terrence Williams 2 |
Rodney Stuckey 1 | Blocks | Jeff Green 4 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Detroit | 93 | 36.6 | 4-24 | 21-30 | 20 | 52 | 1 | 10 | 17 |
Boston | 98 | 50.7 | 7-20 | 19-22 | 20 | 34 | 9 | 7 | 16 |