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BOSTON – Hack-a-Dre was the latest phrase of the day, as Brad Stevens’ bold move to put Drummond on the line throughout the third quarter was one of a series of notable coaching decisions that kept the Celtics afloat. But the Pistons eventually wore them down and dominated overtime en route to a 105-97 ovetime win.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope continued to bury the Celtics late, with a game high 25 points, 17 of which he scored in the second half and overtime.
Drummond scored 18 points and grabbed 22 rebounds, but the 40 percent free throw shooter threw up a ton of bricks during a key Pistons run and hurt their momentum. The Pistons took him out early in the fourth after a rolled ankle and turned things around, going on a series of runs that culminated with a Tayshaun Prince corner three and an 86-65 lead with 1:15 left.
Jae Crowder, who started for an injured Marcus Smart, capped off another strong game with a powerful drive out of the timeout to bank a floater over the soaring Andre Drummond. He drew the foul and rattled home a free throw to take a two-point lead.
The Pistons answered with a Reggie Jackson floater, which was followed by a Kobe-esque stepback from Turner that bounced out. Jackson tried to best it on the next possession, with the same result.
It was time for Stevens to once again draw up the perfect inbounds play. The result was a doomed Evan Turner two-on-one drive that ended with him being stripped. Turner truly is a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.
But overtime was a dud for Boston, as they were outscored 13-2 and walked away with their tail between their legs. The Celtics shot poorly in overtime and didn't start socring until it was too late.
Jackson came on strong in the end and nearly had a triple-double, scoring 17 points to go with his 9 rebounds and 11 assists.
Stevens continued to tinker with lineups early in this game, going big with Turner, Crowder, Wallace, Jerebko and Zeller. That was one of their more successful lineups, as they held the Pistons to 15 points in the second quarter and seemed to be in full control.
But the fourth quarter went as wrong as possible for Boston, as Detroit buried shots from downtown as the Celtics struggled to hit form anywhere. They finished with 105 field goal attempts to the Pistons' 89.