BOSTON — The Boston Celtics threatened to blow a 24-point third-quarter lead but held off a charge by Detroit and downed the Pistons 102-95 for their seventh win in the last eight games on Wednesday night.
The huge lead fell to seven with 1:59 left, but the Celtics (29-22) managed to shut it down and record their sixth straight win at home since losing to the Pistons on Jan. 6.
The Celtics have won eight of their last 11 and 10 of their last 13, while the banged-up Pistons (26-24) have lost eight of their last 13.
All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas led a balanced Celtics scoring attack with 17 points and added seven assists and five rebounds. Guard Avery Bradley scored 15 points, guard Evan Turner came off the bench with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists and forwards Jared Sullinger and Jae Crowder (six rebounds) and guard Marcus Smart all had 12 points.
Smart, with another strong effort off the bench, scored all of his points by going four-of-seven from 3-point range and had four assists.
Guard Reggie Jackson, playing with a jammed right thumb, scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and dished out seven assists for the Pistons. All-Star center Andrew Drummond posted 16 points and 13 rebounds, while forward Ersan Ilyasova and Marcus Morris had 16 and 15 points, respectively, Morris with seven rebounds and four assists.
The Pistons, who had several players playing with injuries and lost guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a groin injury in the first half, dropped their third in the last four games.
The Celtics broke a 4-4 tie with nine straight points and never looked back. They led by 20 at the half and got the lead up to 24 in the third quarter.
Detroit woke up offensively, starting by nailing three 3-pointers in 57 seconds in the third quarter. But it wasn’t enough as the Celtics evened the season series 2-2.
Caldwell-Pope, already bothered by an oblique injury, left in the second quarter. He slipped on a wet spot on the floor and had to be helped to the locker room with three minutes left in the first half.
NOTES: The Celtics reportedly were talking to the Houston Rockets about a trade for C Dwight Howard. “We’re just all like listening and laughing and trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not, but not putting a lot of a stock into it until somebody knocks on our door,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said before Wednesday night’s game. … Detroit G Reggie Jackson (thumb) and F Marcus Morris (knee) both missed practice Tuesday but started Wednesday night. The Pistons visited with a banged-up roster that had coach Stan Van Gundy doing some shuffling. … Pistons G Jodie Meeks, out with a broken right foot, was told Monday that it hasn’t healed. “We’re back off until March 1,” Van Gundy said. “For practical matters, it’s really hard to see him being able to get back and make much of a contribution this year.” … The Pistons posted a 99-96 win over the Celtics in their first visit to Boston on Jan. 6. The teams have split two games at Auburn Hills.
Thunder 117, Magic 114
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 37 points, including a game-winning 3-pointer, to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Orlando Magic 117-114 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday night.
Durant, a forward, was 12 of 25 from the field and 6 of 12 from 3-point range. Guard Russell Westbrook was just as impressive with 24 points, 19 rebounds and 14 assists. It was his eighth triple-double of the season and a career high in rebounds.
Guard Victor Oladipo paced the Magic with 37 points and seven rebounds. Center Nikola Vucevic and guard Mario Hezonja each scored 16 points for Orlando.
With 6:44 left in the fourth quarter, Westbrook streaked coast to coast for a layup to give Thunder one-point lead. Magic center Jason Smith answered with a long jumper from the top of the key.
Durant then came down and buried a 3-pointer before coming up with a steal on the other end.
Oladipo knocked in a jumper to tie game and hit a pair of free throws to put the Magic ahead 111-109.
Even though the Magic had Durant double-teamed, he responded with a 3-pointer with 2:45 on the clock. Smith countered with a corner 3-pointer of his own to put Magic up by two.
The Thunder defense forced the Magic into a bad shot and Oklahoma City got the rebound with 38 seconds left.
Westbrook tied the game with a layup before Thunder forward Serge Ibaka blocked Oladipo’s layup attempt. With the game tied and forward Tobias Harris guarding him, Durant drained a game-winning 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds on the clock.
The Thunder outrebounded the magic 50-39.
Oklahoma City was all about ball movement to start the game. They had nine assists in their first 14 baskets with six players scoring at least one basket.
However, the Thunder’s defense was less effective. The Magic shot 53 percent in the first quarter and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Hezonja tied the game at 32-32 heading into the second quarter.
The Thunder couldn’t slow down Oladipo in the first half. He missed only two shots on his way to 17 points.
Westbrook was two rebounds short of a triple-double in first half, yet Oklahoma City only held a 66-65 advantage at halftime.