The Boston Celtics’ quest for their first win of the season continues.
Jaylen Brown tried his best but couldn’t prevent the Boston Celtics from losing to the Detroit Pistons.
After starting the 2025-26 season with losses to the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics are currently 0-3.
The game against the Detroit Pistons got off to a strong start, leading 33-24 in the first quarter. But then Detroit took over and even though Boston rallied for fourth, it wasn’t enough.
Star player Jaylen Brown posted his highest point of the season. He had a steady performance with 25 points and 23 points in the first two games, finishing with 41 points.
Brown shot 12-25 from the field and 5-9 from three. They were 12-15 from the free throw line.
The Detroit Pistons won 119-113, led by Cade Cunningham with 25 points and Jalen Duren with 24 points.
Jaylen Brown could argue that he did his job. However, this Boston Celtics team is not strong enough even after a tough offseason.
Derrick White shot poorly in the first half, going 0-4 from three. They finished with 3 wins, 11 losses, and a total of 15 points.
Peyton Pritchard also scored 21 points on 2-8 3-point shooting.
And then there were the remaining two starters. Niemias Queta only scored 4 points.
Hugo Gonzalez made his first start, but scored zero points in 18 minutes. He had just 1 rebound and 0 assists.
Gonzalez came off the bench against the Knicks and scored six points, earning praise from Jaylen Brown.
Joe Mazzula was similarly impressed with the rookie and elected to start against Detroit. But it wasn’t a night that Gonzalez remembers well.
Anfernee Simons had 12 points off the bench and Josh Minot added 10 points.
The real problem was the team’s rebounding. Pritchard scored 10 points, becoming the only player on the roster to score in double figures. Jaylen Duran had 17 points and Orser Thompson had 12 points for the Pistons.
Jayson Tatum is out with a torn Achilles tendon and trying to rush his return towards the end of the season doesn’t make much sense.
The Celtics won’t make the playoffs at this rate. It’s too early to write them off completely, but their roster isn’t strong enough. They were competitive against Boston, but they lack the edge they need and haven’t found a way to win these games with their current lineup.
They also lost Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Luke Cornett in the offseason. The players they lost, including Tatum, are five spots better than their current starters.
Celtics fans were hopeful that with a strong start, this new team could quickly pick up steam and potentially make the playoffs. But it seems more likely that they will win the lottery.