Pistons vs. Celtics final score: Saddiq Bey puts on a show as the Pistons win 108-102

The Pistons defeated the Celtics 108-102, adding another win over a good team to their resume (is a team that loses to the Pistons twice a good team?).

The Pistons started out this game poorly. They were down 12-2 at one point early in the first quarter. However, as has been the case in basically every game this season, they fought back. They actually ended the quarter leading 27-23, despite playing most of the quarter with Blake Griffin at center because Isaiah Stewart got two fouls two minutes into the game.

The Pistons would start the second quarter with another bizarro lineup with Jerami Grant at center and Josh Jackson at the 4. It wasn’t a bad lineup or anything, and they were able to hold serve.

The Pistons started to build their lead, getting it up to 12 points, when Saddiq Bey went nuclear. He finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds at the half (!) on 4-4 shooting from three-point range, but the Pistons botched the ending of the quarter and only led 54-52 at the half.

It is nice to see Saddiq Bey bouncing back after hitting the proverbial rookie wall a couple weeks ago. The more impressive aspect of Saddiq Bey in the first half of this game was his shot creation inside the arc. He was bullying whoever was guarding him, especially Grant Williams, in the post.

The third quarter was a lot of the same back and forth action. Every time it looked like a team might pull away, the other team fought back. Wayne Ellington’s shooting struggles continued in this game. He started off 0-7 from three and 0-8 from the field before making his first field goal late in the third quarter.

The back and forth action slowed once Saddiq Bey came back into the game after sitting for a majority of the third (for some reason). He was up to 27 points by the end of the quarter and still hadn’t missed from three (6-for-6). The Pistons led 82-72 and looked to be in position for another win over a good team.

The Pistons made the fourth quarter interesting. It looked like they had the game locked down, but the Celtics got within two points with two minutes left. A couple of clutch threes by Josh Jackson and...surprise! Saddiq Bey! sealed the game for the Pistons:

Bey finished the game with his second career double-double and a career-high 30 points, 12 rebounds, and a Pistons rookie record seven made threes. Delon Wright was a quiet assassin again with 22 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.

The Pistons will face former coach Stan Van Gundy and the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday.