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 win streak in the NBA. The Pistons have now won eight straight in a single season for the first time since a 10-game win streak from Jan. 23-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.
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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 they 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 their 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.
