NBA: Pistons helped by Beasley’s 26 points rout Celtics, 117-97

Malik Beasley #5 of the Detroit Pistons reacts after scoring a three-point basket against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena on February 26, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. | Nic Antaya/Getty Images/AFP

DETROIT — Malik Beasley scored 26 points, Cade Cunningham had 21 points and 11 assists and the Detroit Pistons beat the Boston Celtics 117-97 on Wednesday night in a matchup of two of the NBA’s hottest teams.

The Pistons (33-26) won their eighth straight and ended a 12-game losing streak against Boston, two nights after stopping a 10-game skid against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points for Boston, and Derrick White and Payton Pritchard each had 18. Boston (42-17) had won six straight and 10 of 11.

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Jalen Duren added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit. The Pistons had a 49-33 rebounding edge.

The Pistons led 90-79 going into the fourth, then scored the first eight points of the quarter to take a 19-point advantage.

Takeaways

Celtics: Boston’s winning streak against the Pistons dated to Feb. 16, 2022. It was their longest active streak against any opponent.

Pistons: The game drew one of the bigger and louder crowds of the season, but the loudest cheers came when Lions star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was introduced during the third quarter.

Key moment

Tied at 55 at halftime, Detroit took control by outscoring the Celtics 35-24 in the third quarter.

Key stat

Tatum, White and Pritchard combined to shoot 14 of 22 from the floor in the first half, going 11 of 15 on 3-pointers.

Up next

Both teams are back in action Friday night. The Celtics host Cleveland, and the Pistons host Denver.