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Pistons rout Celtics for 8th straight win (1:58)
Cade Cunningham finishes with 21 points and 11 assists as the Pistons defeat the Celtics by 20. (1:58)
ESPN News Services
Feb 26, 2025, 09:43 PM ET
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 LA Clippers.
Detroit's eight-game run is tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the longest active streak in the NBA. The Pistons have won eight consecutive contests in a season for the first time since a 10-game streak from Jan. 23 to Feb. 13, 2008.
Boston (42-17) had won six straight and 10 of 11. The Celtics' 20-point loss was their second largest of the season, only one point shy of their largest.
Jayson Tatum scored 27 points for Boston, and Derrick White and Payton Pritchard each had 18. Tatum, White and Pritchard combined to shoot 14-of-22 from the floor in the first half, going 11-of-15 on 3-pointers.
It was the Celtics' 19th game this season with 20 or more made 3-pointers, tied with the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors for the most in a season in NBA history. Boston entered the day 17-1 in games in which it made 20-plus 3-pointers this season and 32-1 over the past two seasons.
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.
Boston's winning streak against the Pistons dated to Feb. 16, 2022. It was its longest active streak against any opponent and tied the third-longest active win streak against a single opponent in the NBA.
Tied at 55 at halftime, Detroit took control by outscoring the Celtics 35-24 in the third quarter.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.