{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Boston 113, Detroit 103
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #61 Courtney Kirkland, # Eric Dalen
Attendance: 14284

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Isaiah Thomas poured in a season-high 34 points off the bench and the Boston Celtics eliminated the Detroit Pistons from playoff contention with a 113-103 victory on Wednesday night at The Palace.

Thomas, a point guard whose previous season high was 28 against Charlotte on Feb. 27, also had six assists. Forward Jae Crowder contributed 17 points and six rebounds for Boston (36-42), which had a half-game lead for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference entering the game.

Power forward Brandon Bass tossed in 16 points off the bench and shooting guard Avery Bradley chipped in 11 points and five rebounds for the Celtics, who have five consecutive road wins. Center Kelly Olynyk added 12 points for Boston, which went 33 of 34 from the free throw line.

Center Andre Drummond's 22 points and 14 rebounds topped the Pistons (30-48), who had a five-game home winning streak snapped. Detroit point guard Reggie Jackson supplied 21 points and 15 assists and power forward Greg Monroe, who missed the previous 11 games with a right knee strain, piled up 19 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Tayshaun Prince added 15 points off the bench.

Thomas had 11 first-half points to lift the Celtics to a 55-47 halftime lead. He scored seven points during an 18-0 Celtics outburst to finish the first quarter.

Jackson carried Detroit back into the game midway through the third quarter with two layups and an alley-oop to shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to cut Boston's lead to 66-64.

Back-to-back three-point plays by Thomas and Crowder pushed the Celtics' lead to double digits and Thomas' 3 in the final minute of the quarter made it 91-74.

Thomas exceeded 30 points on a layup with 7:22 left to make it 100-84. Detroit pulled within eight in the late going but couldn't get any closer.

NOTES: Pistons PF Greg Monroe's return to the lineup after an 11-game absence will help coach Stan Van Gundy evaluate how he blends with PG Reggie Jackson, who was acquired at the February trade deadline. Monroe becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. "If we're fortunate enough to get Greg back here next year, I need to figure out how to make it work," Van Gundy said. ... Monroe and Detroit C Andre Drummond are two of three Eastern Conference players with at least 100 double-doubles since the 2012-13 season. Orlando C Nikola Vucevic has 125, followed by Drummond (110) and Monroe (105). ... Celtics PG Isaiah Thomas was averaging 18.9 points off the bench in 17 games since he was acquired from Phoenix at the trade deadline. ... Boston has been led in scoring by 14 different players this season. ... The Pistons won their last six home games against the Celtics.
Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Detroit
Isaiah Thomas 34 Scoring Andre Drummond 22
Isaiah Thomas 6 Assists Reggie Jackson 15
Tyler Zeller 7 Rebounds Andre Drummond 14
Isaiah Thomas 10 Free Throws Made Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 2
Avery Bradley 2 Steals Greg Monroe 3
Jonas Jerebko 2 Blocks Greg Monroe 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Boston 113 45.0 8-28 33-34 20 37 2 12 11
Detroit 103 53.6 7-18 6-10 29 41 5 7 19
Upcoming Games
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Indiana. The Pistons have a W/L % of .484 after a win and .319 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Celtics have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .429 after a loss.