# Boston Celtics Blow 22-Point Lead in Loss to Detroit

> Celtics collapse from 22-point lead after Detroit's 23-0 run in fourth quarter.
- Title: Boston Celtics Blow 22-Point Lead in Loss to Detroit
- Summary: Celtics collapse from 22-point lead after Detroit's 23-0 run in fourth quarter. Boston Celtics lost to Detroit Pistons after blowing a 22-point lead with a…
- Keywords: boston celtics, detroit pistons, paul george, jayson tatum, payton pritchard, derrick white, javonte green, duncan robinson, mitchell robinson, neemias queta, luka garza, nba
- Source: Boston Celtics On SI — https://si.com/nba/celtics/onsi/what-went-right-and-wrong-as-boston-celtics-blow-22-point-lead-in-loss-to-detroit-01m5dn3ztb6j
- Published: 2026-10-20T22:04:31+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: boston celtics, detroit pistons, paul george, jayson tatum, payton pritchard, derrick white, javonte green, duncan robinson, mitchell robinson, neemias queta, luka garza, nba
## Celtics start sloppy
The Boston Celtics got out to a sloppy start but Jayson Tatum started distributing and Payton Pritchard settled down a frantic offense to take a lead after the first quarter.
## Celtics build 20-point lead
The Celtics were getting bullied by the Pistons early in the second but then they whipped off a 15-0 run to open up an 11-point lead.
## Pistons rally with 16-4 run
The Pistons answered with a 16-4 run to stay in the game, thanks to Javonte Green cashing in from deep.
## Pistons take lead late third
The Pistons got the lead all the way down to three late in the third.
## Celtics regain double-digit lead
The Celtics opened the fourth on an 11-2 run to get it back to double-digits.
## Duncan Robinson goes hot
Duncan Robinson got hot for Detroit and Boston’s defense started to fall apart.
## Pistons build 13-point lead
The Pistons went on a 23-0 run and built a 13-point lead with just over three minutes to go.
## Celtics late run fails
The Celtics made a late run to give themselves a chance, but couldn't come all the way back.
## Paul George leads scoring
Paul George looked comfortable: He quickly found a rhythm to not only lead the team in scoring, he set a record for most points in a Celtics debut, surpassing Kristaps Porzingis’ 30.
## Payton Pritchard bench boost
Pritchard came in off the bench and did exactly what he’s supposed to do. He gave a disjointed Celtics offense a boost with six points in six minutes to help Boston maintain a slim lead…
## Tatum’s passing performance
He could never get his shot to fall, and he had a tough time finishing at the rim, but his 11 assists is something to be happy about.
## Derrick White’s shooting
He shot 7-13 overall and 3-7 from three. He also dished eight assists to go along with his 17 points.
## Pistons defense tough on Tatum
The Celtics didn’t get to the rim much, and when they did they had a tough time finishing. The Pistons swarmed Tatum and made him uncomfortable for most of the game.
## Tatum’s shooting struggles
He finished the game 0-7 from three and 6-28 overall.
## Losing things won in preseason
The Celtics lost the points off turnovers by four and the second chance points by eight.
## Mitchell Robinson slow start
He was subbed out less than four minutes into a rough start where he committed an offensive foul on a screen, botched an alley oop, and threw a ball away.
## Bad matchup for Luka Garza
Garza was forced into action against a tough, physical Pistons team because of Robinson’s slow start (and Robinson tweaking an ankle) and Neemias Queta getting into foul trouble.
## Key takeaway

Boston Celtics lost to Detroit Pistons after blowing a 22-point lead with a 23-0 fourth-quarter run.