Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics surrendered a 17-point lead in a 119-113 loss to the Detriot Pistons to fall to 0-3 on the young regular season. Brown was listed as questionable before playing in a game where the Celtics were a minus-17 in rebounds, including 19 offensive boards, which the Pistons converted into 30 second-chance points.
After the loss, Brown addressed the rebounding battle, where Jalen Duren (18) and Ausar Thompson (12) combined for 30 rebounds against the Celtics.
“I don't know, but we got to figure that out. I think a lot of our issues can be solved just on the defensive glass,” Brown said. “I’ve got to get more involved. I’ve got to get some more rebounds. A lot of long shots lead to long rebounds, so it's just timing. Some of the shots just keep bouncing over our head, or some of those guys were just pushing us underneath. But rebounding is definitely the biggest issue for us right now.”
Brown's 41 points on 12-of-25 attempts, including 5-of-9 from deep, six rebounds, and four assists led the Celtics. He also finished 12-of-15 from the free-throw line. Still, the Pistons battled back, erasing their double-digit deficit with second-chance opportunities, as the momentum shifted down the stretch.
The Celtics were out-rebounded by nearly 20 in their last two games, including a 105-95 loss to the New York Knicks, where Boston finished a minus-16 on the glass. As Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla adapts to life after Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, Boston will have to find a way to rebound as a team amid a challening transition of moving on from the centers of its 2024 championship squad.
Neemias Queta earned the job as Mazzulla's full-time starting center. He's averaging 9.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks out of the gates. However, he had four points and six rebounds in Sunday's loss. Payton Pritchard (10 rebounds) led the Celtics in rebounds. He also finished with 21 points and four assists.
Jaylen Brown keep it 100% after Celtics' loss vs 76ers
Before losing to the Pistons, the Celtics gave up a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter of their 117-116 loss to the 76ers in their season opener. Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown knows the growing pains that comes with new players intergrating with a new team, but is looking forward to the path toward figuring it out.
“We have a bunch of new guys who are playing a new style. I thought we played hard today,” Brown said. “I'm looking forward to watching film, learning, and staying with the journey.”
Without All-Star Jayson Tatum, Brown will look to lead this year's Celtics to a fruitful season.
