The Detroit Pistons' ability to guard the three-point line has given them a league-average defense for the first time in four seasons. But it was no match for Derrick White and Payton Pritchard Thursday night.
White and Pritchard each hit seven three-pointers in the Boston Celtics' 123-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Both Celtics guards matched the three-point total of the Pistons' entire team. White and Pritchard were 14-for-27 on threes, while the Pistons were 7-for-37 overall. Even three-point specialists Tim Hardaway and Malik Beasley combined to go 0-for-6.
With Jayson Tatum sitting with a right knee injury, the Celtics went with a Twin Towers lineup of Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in the front court. Coming off the bench didn't slow down Pritchard at all. He recorded his first double-double of the season, scoring 27 points with 10 assists, while turning the ball over only once. It's the first time in Celtics history that a bench player has put up 25+ points, at least 10 assists and made five threes.
The Celtics have come to expect that three-point shooting from Pritchard, who has made 3.8 per game in 2024-25 while shooting 43.2%. The passing was the impressive part, as Pritchard was averaging 2.9 dimes going into the game, but came up with his first double-digit assist game of the season.
White's been making nearly as many three-pointers as Pritchard, trailing him by only seven on the season. Thursday he upped his three-point heavy diet by eschewing two-pointers almost completely, taking 12 of his 13 shots from behind the arc. But with White shooting 40% from behind the arc, it's a good strategy to take most of his shots from there.
As for the Pistons, it might be possible to chase most NBA teams off the line. But not the Celtics, who put up 48 three-pointers Thursday. And when the Pistons did over-commit to stop outside shots, they went inside and made 62% of their twos.
Some NBA team might eventually solve the Celtics' flame throwing attack from outside. It won't be the Pistons.
