Coach J.B. Bickerstaff had several days to review the game film and identify the reasons for the Detroit Pistons’ loss to the Boston Celtics less than a month ago. The Pistons sustained a 117-114 loss on Nov. 26, which ended their 13-game winning streak. After the review, Bickerstaff encouraged his team to focus on improving their pace and defense against 3-pointers during their rematch against the Celtics.

The Pistons overcame a subpar start and applied Bickerstaff’s teachings, resulting in a 112-105 win over the Celtics at TD Garden on Monday night. The win improved Detroit’s overall record to 21-5 and 2-1 against the Celtics this season.

“Definitely wanted to come back, have that game back, get that game back,” guard Cade Cunningham said. “Obviously, they’ve been playing good basketball, so it was a good test for us. Great win for us.”

The Pistons returned to Boston as the 11th-fastest team in the league, averaging 101.52 pace per game this season. Bickerstaff wanted to see his team get out and run, especially considering that the Celtics have established themselves as the league’s slowest team at 96.2.

Although inconsistent, the Pistons played faster than in their three-point loss three weeks ago. Their most significant improvement came on the defensive end, where the Pistons held Boston to 25.6% from the 3-point line.

BOX SCORE: Pistons 112, Celtics 105

For the majority of the night, Cunningham was the only player able to buy a basket from beyond the arc. The All-NBA guard nailed a season-best six made 3-point field goals, en route to a 32-point performance. He also notched 10 assists and four rebounds despite playing with five fouls.

His biggest triple came at the 7:53 mark of the fourth quarter. Coming out of a timeout, Cunningham nailed his sixth and final 3-point field goal of the game. His basket halted the Celtics’ momentum as they fought back from a 10-point deficit.

“Just trusting my work — staying in the game, knowing I was gonna get another opportunity to get back out there. That’s part of the game,” Cunningham said. “There’s gonna be games where you’re in foul trouble, just learning how to play with it and not, obviously, foul again, but not give up points and just be a cone out there. So it was a balance between it, but my team made a lot of big plays covering for me, and I was able to make some plays too.”

In addition to Cunningham, Tobias Harris was the only other starter who scored in double figures by adding 13 points. However, the Pistons’ bench unit provided a significant lift, contributing 47 points. Caris LeVert led all reserves with 13 points. Jaden Ivey added 10 points, three rebounds and two steals in 20 minutes.

Javonte Green scored eight points and recorded three steals. Shortly after Cunningham made a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, Green hit his respective triple, giving the Pistons a 101-93 lead with 6:16 remaining in the period. On Detroit’s next defensive possession, Green turned one of his steals into a one-handed dunk over Derrick White to keep the Celtics at a distance.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 34 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. White finished with 31 points on 5-of-12 shooting from behind the arc.

Observations and notes

â–¶ LeVert and Ivey made a huge difference in the third: For much of the first half, Cunningham was the Pistons’ only offensive threat. He led the way with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, but Detroit trailed Boston 57-53 entering the halftime break.

However, Jaden Ivey and Caris LeVert ended the Pistons’ solo show at the TD Garden. They played a crucial role in Detroit’s impressive third-quarter performance, where the Pistons outscored the Celtics 32-24. LeVert led the way in the period, scoring 11 points, while Ivey contributed with five.

The duo picked up their production on both ends, setting the tone for the Pistons to take a win. The best moment between both players came with 30 seconds left when LeVert connected with Ivey for a driving layup. On Detroit’s next defensive possession, LeVert pickpocketed Celtics’ Hugo González and converted the steal into an easy two-handed dunk.

▶ Trouble with zone defense: Despite entering the second quarter down by nine, the Pistons started the night on a strong note. They began the game shooting well and held a 17-14 lead by the 6:59 mark of the first quarter.

However, the Celtics regained control of the game on their next defensive stop by switching to a zone. As a result, the Pistons struggled to score, missing their next eight field-goal attempts while committing three turnovers. The Celtics took advantage of the opportunity, going on a 14-0 run. Their defensive strategy once again showed that zone defense could be detrimental to the Pistons’ success.

▶ Duren with his worst performance of the season: Jalen Duren has dominated nearly every game this season, but he arguably had his worst performance against the Celtics. He scored a season-low six points and three rebounds, to go along with two blocks and a steal. He also spent most of the game in foul trouble, which led Bickerstaff to favor Isaiah Stewart as the Pistons established their dominance in the third quarter.

coty.davis@detroitnews.com

@cotydavis_24

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