Boston Celtics star makes blunt admission after disappointing Pistons loss

Boston Celtics big Kristaps Porzingis (8) defends against a shot by Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)AP

While the Celtics were flying high amid a recent winning stretch, they hit a bump in the road against an even hotter team. The C’s played well making it a close game at halftime, but the Pistons were the better team in the second half, handing the reigning champs a 117-97 loss Wednesday in Detroit.

The Celtics hit plenty of 3s like they usually do at 21-for-49, but inside the arc was a different story. The Pistons had a 62-20 edge in points in the paint, plus they outrebounded the Celtics 51-32. The C’s also turned it over 19 times as the Pistons capitalized with 24 points off those turnovers. After the game, Kristaps Porzingis took blame for some of the team’s deficiencies.

NBC Sports Kurt Helin Talks Knicks/Celtics & PistonsNBC Sports Kurt Helin Talks Knicks/Celtics & Pistons

“Just had a bad game, to be honest,” Porzingis told reporters in Detroit. “Me, especially. I was terrible tonight. We just had a really bad game. We fought. But they were like physical. For them, felt like it was a really important game, they really wanted to win. We battled as strong as we could, but we just fell short. We didn’t rebound the ball — especially myself. Definitely have to take some accountability and be better.”

Porzingis didn’t look like himself throughout Wednesday’s game. He finished with 11 points and three steals, but shot 4-for-11 from the field, including 2-for-3 on 3s. The Pistons’ physicality got to him at multiple times as there was also some frustration mixed in there. Plus, Porzingis sat the Tuesday win over the Raptors due to an illness, so he could have still been feeling the effects.

Regardless, one data point doesn’t change the Celtics’ body of work from the past few weeks. They’ve still won 10 of their last 12 games even with Wednesday’s loss. Plus, now they get a seven-game homestand where they have multiple marquee games. So there are plenty of chances to bounce back after a disappointing loss in Detroit, which starts against the first-place Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. Friday at TD Garden.

“They were really handsy, physical, handsy,” Porzingis said. “Refs were not calling a lot of stuff. It was one of those games that we had to adapt quick. We didn’t, especially myself. I was emotional and I was like riled up about not getting some calls that we usually get. Just not a good night for us, honestly, and that’s it.”