Pistons beat Celtics 103-83 for 1st home victory

[November 19, 2012]  AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Greg Monroe had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons to their first home win of the season, 103-83 over the Boston Celtics on Sunday night.

The Pistons (2-9) had blown double-digit leads in each of their first three home games, but were never seriously threatened by Boston down the stretch. The Celtics, playing their fourth game in five nights, hit only four 3-pointers and trailed by as many as 22 points.

Jason Maxiell added 15 points for the Pistons, who had six players in double figures and shot 54.5 percent for the night.

Jared Sullinger led the Celtics with 16 points, while Kevin Garnett had 15.

The only consolation for the Celtics was that, due to a concentrated effort in the fourth quarter, Rajon Rondo finished with 10 assists. That extended his double-digit streak to 34 games, the third longest in league history, but required Boston running a bizarre small-ball offense for the last several minutes designed strictly to get him assists.

Sullinger finally made the effort pay off, hitting a jumper with 51 seconds left to give Rondo his tenth assist, although Boston still trailed 101-81. Leandro Barbosa immediately went to the scorer's table to take Rondo out of the game.

Magic Johnson holds the NBA record with a 46-game streak in 1983-84, while John Stockton had a 37-game streak in 1989.

The Celtics dominated early, but the effects of the schedule had a clear impact in the second period. Boston missed 12 of its first 16 shots in the quarter, and only a series of Detroit turnovers kept the Pistons' lead down to 48-43 at the half.

Things didn't get any better in the third quarter for Boston, as the Pistons kept up the defensive pressure. Detroit outscored them 23-14 in the period, as Boston shot just 31.3 percent and turned the ball over seven times.

NOTES: Garnett was matched up with Pistons rookie Andre Drummond for long periods in each half. When Garnett was drafted in 1995, Drummond was still a month short of his second birthday. ... Rondo wasn't the only Celtic struggling to get assists. The rest of Boston's team combined for just two ... Rondo's last single-digit assist game was March 9 against Portland.

[Associated Press]

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