Patriots Football Blog

Behind a career-high 20 points from Glen (Big Baby) Davis, the Boston Celtics evened the season series with the Pistons at 1-all with a 92-85 win at the Palace.

Davis scored 16 of his points in the fourth quarter as the Celtics, who hold the NBA's best record, rallied to their ninth-straight win. For the Pistons, the loss ended an 11-game win streak, and the team had itself to blame as much as Davis to credit.

The Pistons' offense petered into a stagnant, non-passing attack, resulting in 39.2% shooting.

"They outhustled us," said Chauncey Billups, who scored 17 but missed several late shots. "They outrebounded us. They got so many second-chance points. The one play they kept running at the end, we never really got a hold of that. We never really played it all the way right."

On that play, Celtics forward Paul Pierce, who scored 19 points, would blow by his defenders off a pick-and-roll and find Davis under the basket. The Pistons couldn't stop it.

"At the point of attack on the elbow pick-and-roll play, we didn't handle that extremely well," coach Flip Saunders said. "We let Pierce get away and all of the sudden that put a lot of pressure and Davis' guy had to come help. And Pierce made some great plays."

The Pistons (26-8) still had their chances. With 2:36 left, Tayshaun Prince, who scored just seven points, found Richard Hamilton in the corner. Hamilton, who led his team with 18 points and eight assists, hit a three to get the Pistons within one, 81-80.

After the Celtics pushed the lead back to six, Antonio McDyess, who scored only four points, made a jumper and Prince stole the ball at the other end. Hamilton's baseline shot made it a two-point game with 1:25 left.

But the Pistons couldn't get closer. Davis scored two more lay-ups, and Billups went 1-for-2 at the line and air-balled a three attempt. Prince missed a three.

Perhaps playing three games in four nights had something to do with those miscues, although no one denied that the Pistons simply didn't play well.

"We rushed shots, we didn't play in the flow we've been playing in," Saunders said. "They had something to do with that as far as how they played. But I think also we got a little bit anxious, especially late. We took some ill-advised quick shots late."

Forward Rasheed Wallace scored 16, and Jason Maxiell scored 12 in the first half and finished with 13. The Celtics burned the Pistons on the boards, outrebounding them 50-36. They had 15 offensive rebounds to the Pistons' 10.

Offensively, outside of a run in the first quarter, the Pistons didn't move the ball and rarely found open looks. Through the first three quarters, only four Pistons had earned an assist.

The Celtics led, 10-3, after four minutes. But with 7:34 left in the first quarter, Kevin Garnett picked up his second foul and went to the bench.

Suddenly, good shots weren't hard to find. Maxiell, who filled in after McDyess picked up two fouls in the first 2:16, started the onslaught on the play before Garnett left with a one-handed dunk.

Then he picked up a pass from Hamilton and dunked that in, too. The Pistons scored 17 straight points and ended the quarter on a 19-2 run to lead 22-12. That tied the mark for lowest scoring quarter for the Celtics this season.

But the lead vanished in the second quarter, as the Pistons shot 8-for-22 (36%).

Both teams were playing their third game in four nights, but a budding rivalry -- and plenty of whistles -- made for a few chippy moments.

Maxiell was slapped with a technical foul in the second quarter after a block on Garnett. Garnett stared down Maxiell after the play, and Maxiell stood his ground, only to earn a technical.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers picked up a tech at the end of the third, and Celtics forward Kendrick Perkins was hit with one to open the fourth.

"They're two teams that are both evenly matched; it's usually the superfluous players who are the difference makers," Saunders said. "(Davis) was tonight."