The Boston Celtics were back on the road Monday night, closing out their regular season series against the Detroit Pistons in a primetime matchup as the NBA celebrated Martin Luther King Day. With the first three meetings between the two teams coming down to a combined 16 total points and Detroit leading the series 2-1, the Celtics were looking to even out the series for this year, and improve their winning streak to three games.
Just as the other three matchups have been, the game came down to the wire, with the Celtics needing to battle back in the second half with improved three-point shooting. Fresh off being named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career, Jaylen Brown carried the Celtics until the very end, ul;timately coming up short on the final shot of the game, losing by a single point.
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Here is a quick recap as Boston fell 104-103 against the Pistons for the third time this season.
Final score: Detroit Pistons 104, Boston Celtics 103
Keys to the game:
3-point shooting: Boston kept themselves in this contest with their 3-point shooting, converting 32% of their attempts, and making two more than Detroit did. However, it was the Pistons relying on their deep range shooting in the fourth quarter, including a big corner 3-pointer from Tobias Harris in the closing minutes to give the Pistons the lead.
Points in the paint: Led by their young and talented center Jalen Duren, the Pistons controlled the paint against Boston, outscoring them down low 48-32 in the game. Duren ended the night with 18 points on 8-10 shooting, giving his team the edge down low as well as Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart who contributed to the big advantage.
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Lack of supporting cast: While four of the Celtics starters were in double figures no the night, the bench unit contributed a total of 24 points out of the team’s 103 total on the night. Jaylen Brown paced the entire offense with 28 shot attempts, putting together 32 points and 11 rebounds in the game. No other player had 20 points for Boston, the closest being Payton Pritchard (17) and Sam Hauser (18), who made a combined 7 3-pointers. Boston will have a hard time winning big games when no one else on the team is reaching the 20-point benchmark behind Jaylen Brown.
Highlight of the game: Pistons force tough jumper from Jaylen Brown to seal the win
What’s next: vs. Indiana Pacers, Wednesday, January 21, 7:30PM ET
Jan 12, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers guard/forward Aaron Nesmith (23) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Closing out another season series on Wednesday, the Celtics will have their final matchup against the struggling Indiana Pacers at home. Boston leads the series 2-1, with Indiana pulling off the last win on January 12, by a 2-point margin. It could line up to be another big night for Jaylen Brown in this matchup, as he is averaging over 30 points per game in the two that he has played against the Pacers. Indiana is a competitive team, yet one that is also struggling mightily having to play without their franchise centerpiece Tyrese Haliburton who has been out all season with a torn Achilles.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics come up short on final shot, fall to Pistons in series finale