Pistons vs. Celtics final score: Third quarter collapse sinks Pistons, 99-93

It wasn't too long ago that Jonas Jerebko was a fan favorite Piston. No longer.

After a ferocious Detroit comeback that saw the home team Pistons come back from an 11-point deficit with two minutes to go, down just two points with 30 seconds remaining, Jerebko put a nail in the coffin with a big clutch bucket to seal the game.

Reggie Jackson dropped the buckets and Stanley Johnson brought the energy that was almost enough for the Pistons to pull off a comeback in a game they absolutely had no business winning.

Really, it should have been a blowout at halftime for Boston. The Pistons straddled 40 percent shooting the whole half (and nope, not hitting three pointers or free throws either), turned the ball over 13 times while only generating 7 assists, gave up 48 shooting to Boston.

But they had this guy named Andre Drummond, who kept the Pistons in the game with 17 first half points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. These were his halftime stats. He eventually hit 20-20 once again for the game, finishing with a whole bunch of twos: 22-22-2-2.

But he wasn't efficient. He shot 9-21 from the field, 4-10 from the stripe, making for a mixed bag that was at least ultimately a positive. Not detracting from that positive was the halftime theme from Fox Sports Detroit suggesting that Every Dre He's Hustling. Puns are great.

The bill for the Pistons poor play came through in the third quarter when the Celtics went up by as much as 15 points. It's been a common theme throughout the season that the Pistons struggle in the third, play well in the fourth and that was the case tonight.

It was another step forward tonight for Stanley Johnson, ending up with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and a big start to a run in the fourth. But a step backwards for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who just had a miserable night. His calling card was empty as he stunk defensively, and wasn't on with his shooting either as he finished shooting 3-13. His five turnovers weren't great either.

The Pistons travel to New York from here, facing the Knicks on Tuesday.

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