Game Recap: Pistons Loss to Celtics Spoils Rip Hamilton Night

The Boston Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons 104-98 on Sunday, in what turned out to be a very tight matchup for the majority of the game.

The Pistons played well in many aspects, showing defensive prowess and effort throughout, something that's been lacking for most of the season. Turnovers, rebounding and most importantly unacceptably poor free throw shooting sunk Detroit in what was otherwise a special night as Pistons legend Richard "Rip" Hamilton's jersey was raised to the rafters at the Palace. The Pistons were led by Andre Drummond with 17 and 15, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, whose late game heroics almost willed the Pistons to victory with his 18 points and clutch fourth quarter buckets, and Reggie Jackson, who had a solid night other than a dumb 3-pointer with the Pistons up 1 in crunch time.

For the Celtics, there was the usual culprit, Isaiah Thomas, who dropped 33 and dished 3 assists. Boston got a real spark off the bench from guard reserves Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart, dropping 13 and 14, respectively. Al Horforf struggled, recording only 4 points and 9 rebounds. Even without their leading rebounder in Avery Bradley, the Celtics still managed to beat the Pistons on the boards, especially towards the end of the game.

Another close game for the Pistons and the Celtics, two teams that could be meeting in the playoffs come April. This was a winnable game for the Pistons, but a boneheaded three by Jackson and a 4-point play from rookie Jaylen Brown eventually sunk the Pistons on this otherwise special night.

Detroit (28-31) play Damian Lillard and the Blazers tomorrow, while the Celtics (38-21) fell to the Atlanta Hawks earlier today.

Featured Image via: Leon Halip- USA TODAY Sports