LOS ANGELES: The suddenly surging Detroit Pistons toppled reigning champions Boston 117-97 Wednesday to push their NBA winning streak to eight games and halt the Celtics’ win streak at six.
Malik Beasley scored 26 points off the bench to lead the Pistons, connecting on six of 11 from three-point range.
Cade Cunningham scored 21 points and handed out 11 assists in his 26th double-double of the season and Detroit’s stout defense harried the Celtics into 19 turnovers that led to 24 Pistons points.
Down by as many as 15 in the first half, the Celtics had tied it 55-55 at the break, but Detroit clamped down in the third and took a 90-79 lead into the final period.
“It’s a great feeling,” Cunningham said of the eight-game winning streak — Detroit’s first streak that long since 2008.
With a record of 33-26 the Pistons have already surpassed their win total from the last two seasons combined.
During those difficult campaigns, the mantra was “restore this franchise,” Cunningham said.
“To see it coming to fruition now is a great thing,” he said. “I’m happy for the city, but I’m not satisfied at all.
“I think there’s still a lot more work to do. The city wants championships, and so we’re slowly building toward that,” he continued.
“This is a great start for us. It’s been a great year for us so far.”
Jayson Tatum scored 27 points to lead the Celtics, who were without All-Star forward Jaylen Brown because of a left thigh contusion.
In New York, Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 34 points to lead the Knicks to a 110-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
That included nine unanswered points with less than three minutes to play after the Sixers had erased a 16-point halftime deficit to take a four-point lead.
Brunson’s three-pointer with 1:28 remaining put New York up for good, his late heroics helping the Knicks overcome the absence of their leading scorer Karl-Anthony Towns.
Mikal Bridges added 28 points for New York and OG Anunoby scored 16.
Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points to lead the 76ers, who were again without star center Joel Embiid and slumped to a ninth straight defeat.
Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City bounced back from their loss to Minnesota on Monday with a 129-121 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points and Chet Holmgren added 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Thunder, who avoided consecutive defeats for what would have been just the second time this season.
Once again the Thunder got off to a slow start, trailing by as many as 18 in the first half.
They chipped away in the third quarter and trailed by six going into the fourth, when they finally turned the tide with an 18-0 scoring run.
Day’Ron Sharpe scored a career-high 25 points with 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks for the Nets.
But Brooklyn, without suspended Nic Claxton and injured D’Angelo Russell and Cam Thomas, couldn’t keep pace late and were out-scored 39-25 in the final frame.
A three-point barrage carried the Miami Heat to a 131-109 home victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Two days after they connected on just seven of 40 three-point attempts in a loss to the Hawks in Atlanta, the Heat drained 23 of their 42 shots from beyond the arc.
Tyler Herro scored 24 points and handed out 10 assists, and Duncan Robinson added 24 points off the bench as seven Heat players scored in double figures.
Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden scored 27 of his 30 points in the second half as the Clippers halted a three-game skid with a 122-117 victory over the Bulls in Chicago.
