It wasn’t the prettiest display of basketball from the Celtics. They trailed 112-106 just before the 5-minute mark of the fourth quarter to a new-look Pistons team with a newfound level of competence on both sides of the floor.
While clutch minutes are technically in effect in a 5-point game with under 5 minutes to go, the true moment this game clicked into full-on clutch mode began at the 4:25 mark, when Al Horford checked in for Luke Kornet with the Celtics still trailing by six.
In a second half where the tap ran cold on Boston’s 3-ball, possessions grew into more late shot clock misfires, and Detroit’s backcourt duo of Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham lifted their team into a winning position, the clutch gene sprouted from the entire Celtics starting 5 in their first true late-game minutes of the season.