Celtics set dubious new franchise record in loss to Pistons
The Boston Celtics fell 117-97 in a disappointing loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. But, to add insult to injury from the 20-point defeat, the team set a new franchise record – and not a record to be proud of.
The Celtics made only 12 two-point shots as a team, the fewest ever in a single game in franchise history. They’ve put a clear emphasis on shooting the three this season, and hitting threes at over a 40 percent rate typically translates to success for them.
They couldn’t ride that to a win against the Pistons. The Celtics hit the three quite efficiently on Wednesday and still lost to a near-.500 team by 20. Overall, the team shot 21-49 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc, which in a vacuum one would say that is a solid offensive performance, but clearly that’s not the reality of the Pistons loss.
As Sean Grande pointed out on X after the game, the Celtics were 41-1 in their entire history when making at least 21 threes and converting on at least 43 percent, and lost to the Pistons despite doing both.
As aforementioned, the team set a franchise record-low with only 12 made twos. Granted, they only attempted 31, so their shooting percentage from two was 38.7 percent. But regardless, the inability to score more than 24 points inside hurt them.
The Pistons outscored the Celtics 62-20 in the paint and 29-8 in transition (via Zack Cox). Certainly a difficult scoring margin to overcome.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Follow him on X @LukeGraham05.
