Pistons stomp Celtics to post longest winning streak in a decade and a half

In their previous two seasons, the Detroit Pistons won 31 games combined. On Wednesday, they won their 33rd game of the season. And how.

The Pistons notched their eighth win in a row with a dominant second-half performance against the also-streaking Boston Celtics, finishing with a 117-97 victory. The win streak is the Pistons’ longest since the 2007-08 season.

The Celtics, who were without Jaylen Brown due to a thigh contusion, were on a six-game streak.

Detroit looked well on its way to a blowout win in the first half, holding a 15-point lead at one point in the second quarter. However, a furious Celtics run left the teams tied at halftime, only for Detroit to come out and build up a lead that peaked at 23, which they did not lose.

Malik Beasley came off the bench to lead the Pistons in scoring with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting, plus five rebounds, two assists and zero turnovers. Cade Cunningham also continued his campaign for Most Improved Player with 21 points and 11 assists.

The past three weeks have looked like a very real step forward for the Pistons, who direly needed one. Entering this season, Detroit hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2019, had been running through several lottery picks with mediocre results, and were on their third coach in three years after firing Dwane Casey for Monty Williams and Williams for J.B. Bickerstaff.

Finally, something is working. The team now holds a record of 33-26, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference and only a game behind the Indiana Pacers for fourth.