Boston
Jayson Tatum scored 16, Jaylen Brown had 14 points and Al Horford scored 11 for Boston.
Blake Griffin had 24 points and 15 rebounds for Detroit, which couldn’t recover after scoring just 13 points in the third quarter. The Pistons chopped Boston’s 14-point lead down to a point with 4:21 left to play, and then again with 12 seconds remaining, but couldn’t quite complete the comeback.
Boston, which beat Detroit on the road, 109-89, on Saturday, is still the only team to beat the Pistons this season.
Andre Drummond had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Reggie Bullock scored 16 for Detroit. Ish Smith added 13 points off the bench and gave Detroit one more chance on a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left to play, pulling Detroit within 103-102. But the Celtics sealed it from the foul line.
Tatum drew a foul and made both free shots with 10.5 seconds left, then Irving added two more from the line after Detroit turned the ball over on the inbound play.
The Pistons led 58-56 after a high-paced first half, but fell off in the third quarter, going 4 for 17 from the floor and missing all six attempts from 3-point range.
Irving took over in the third, scoring 13 and starting an early 10-0 run that put Boston up for good.
Griffin hit a pair of free throws with 4:38 left in the period to pull Detroit within 70-65, but Irving responded for the Celtics with three straight 3-pointers as Boston stretched the lead to 14 points late in the period.
Drummond got Detroit back in it in the fourth quarter after Griffin drove for a layup that cut Boston’s lead to 88-84 with 6:01 left to play. Drummond drove for a dunk, blocked a shot by Tatum at the other end and was there to tip in a miss by Stanley Johnson to pull within 90-88.
The Celtics thought Drummond interfered with the ball while it was on the rim and called for a replay, which didn’t happen but did get coach Brad Stevens a technical for coming out on the court to argue. Bullock made the foul shot to pull Detroit within a point, but Boston responded again with six straight points.
Raptors 129, Sixers 112
Toronto
Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 13 assists, extending his streak of double-digit assist games to a career-best six.
Cavaliers 136, Hawks 114
Cleveland
The Cavs came in as the NBA’s only winless team, and Lue paid the price for club’s slow start.
But with Larry Drew serving as Cleveland’s “acting” coach while he tries to get the team to restructure his contract, the Cavs played a complete game — Cleveland had seven players in double figures — and avoided their first 0-7 start since 1995-96.
Hornets 125, Heat 113
Charlotte, n.c.
Behind Parker, who provided a spark all game long with his scoring, passing and decision-making, Charlotte’s reserves outscored Miami’s 66-46.
Kings 107, Magic 99
Orlando, Fla.
Hield scored six points in a 13-2 run to close out the third quarter and the Kings held on for the victory and matched their longest winning streak since February 2017.
Blazers 104, Rockets 85
Houston
The Rockets dropped their fourth straight in their second game without James Harden, who is out with a hamstring injury, to fall to 1-5. After entering the season with eyes on a championship, the Rockets have rarely even been competitive, dropping their four home games by an average of more than 17 points.
Thunder 128, Clippers 110
Oklahoma City
The Thunder outscored the Clippers 39-10 in the third quarter, and the only drama in the fourth was the dustup between Westbrook and Beverley. Beverley dove at Westbrook’s left knee, and both were issued technical after jawing in front of the benches.
Police officers stepped onto the court to help keep the teams separated. Upon review, Beverley’s foul was ruled a flagrant 1.
