The Celtics secured their most spectacular win of the season with out considered one of their most necessary gamers.
Beginning heart Neemias Queta missed Wednesday’s matchup with the Japanese Convention-leading Pistons with an ankle sprain, and Boston survived with out him, holding on for a wild 117-114 victory at TD Backyard that snapped Detroit’s 13-game profitable streak.
Although veteran Luka Garza received his first begin of the season in Queta’s absence, the Celtics large man who logged essentially the most minutes within the Thanksgiving Eve upset was Amari Williams.
Who’s Amari Williams? He’s a 23-year-old, 6-foot-11 heart out of Kentucky whom Boston chosen forty sixth total within the 2025 NBA Draft. Williams is on a two-way contract, and earlier than Wednesday, the overwhelming majority of his restricted skilled expertise had come within the G League. He’d performed 218 minutes throughout seven appearances for Maine and simply seven in two garbage-time cameos for the large membership.
However with Queta unavailable, Williams greater than doubled that complete towards Detroit, checking in halfway by means of the primary quarter and logging quarter-hour in his first actual style of NBA motion.
Williams grabbed simply three rebounds, scored one level and completed as a minus-10, however he blocked two photographs and competed towards an imposing Pistons frontcourt that options one of many league’s prime younger facilities (Jalen Duren) and his uber-physical backup (Isaiah Stewart).
“I believed he was nice,” Derrick White mentioned. “I imply, Duren’s the most effective bigs within the league proper now. (Between) him and Stewart, it’s a bodily recreation down there, and he got here in, held his personal, modified some photographs across the basket, blocked some photographs and gave us some actually good minutes in there after we wanted them. So credit score to him to return in — he was with us in follow yesterday — however to return in his first (actual minutes). ‘Welcome to the NBA, you get Jalen Duren. Determine it out.’”
The highest trait on Williams’ pre-draft scouting report was his passing skill, however he additionally was a three-time CAA Defensive Participant of the 12 months at Drexel earlier than transferring to UK for his last season. Jaylen Brown, who scored a team-high 33 factors within the win, mentioned he was impressed by the rookie’s composure.
“That was spectacular from Amari, I’m not going to lie,” Brown mentioned. “He hasn’t been with us. A variety of strain, high-profile recreation. To return in and make an impression, credit score to him. However he did properly for us. Amari has expertise. He can move the ball. He’s a giant man, is aware of the sport. However that was a big-time efficiency for him.”
Williams’ contributions, head coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned, had been a credit score to the alignment between the Celtics and their G League membership, which is coached this season by former Boston point guard Phil Pressey.
“To me, it begins with Amari simply having the ability to play these quarter-hour,” Mazzulla mentioned, “after which it trickles right down to the connectivity of Maine, and the work that Phil does, and their assistants, after which simply our participant growth employees, simply the continuity for the power for a man to step proper in and know the performs, know the coverages, all of the pregame work that the participant growth employees does on the courtroom. After which with personnel, that’s simply type of a testomony to the alignment — one, to Amari’s mindset, but in addition to the employees. So I believe all these issues mixed felt simply as comfy for him to be on the ground tonight. I believed he did some good things.”
Garza performed simply 11 minutes within the recreation — one shift initially of every half — and reserve bigs Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman each had been wholesome DNPs. The Celtics performed a lot of the sport with out a conventional large on the ground, using wings Josh Minott (6-foot-8) and Jordan Walsh (6-foot-7) as small-ball facilities for lengthy stretches.
The Pistons racked up 21 offensive rebounds — together with six by Duren, 4 by Stewart, 4 by Ausar Thompson and three by Cade Cunningham — and outscored the Celtics 42-22 within the paint and 27-18 on second-chance factors. Boston was in a position to offset that disparity by making a season-best 47% of their 3-pointers (20 of 43) and scoring 20 factors off turnovers.
“We’re tiny on the market, however simply received to discover a approach,” mentioned White, who scored 25 of his 27 factors within the second half. “And clearly, Josh and Jordan, they get to protect the fives and stuff like that, so credit score to them for simply competing at a excessive stage. Typically, we now have lineups that you simply’re out of place however simply attempt to discover a approach, after which we will get stops, we will get rebounds, and are in a position to simply unfold it out offensively. These guys have carried out quite a lot of nice issues for us this 12 months and compete each evening, so we’ve received quite a lot of religion and belief in them.”
White breaks out
Some notable numbers on White’s second half towards Detroit: His 25 factors after halftime equaled his highest complete from any full recreation this season, and his six made 3-pointers had been greater than he’d hit in any contest since final season’s playoffs.
White went 7-for-10 from the sector and 6-for-8 from three over the ultimate two quarters. He and Brown mixed to attain 20 consecutive fourth-quarter factors to assist Boston maintain off Cunningham and the 15-3 Pistons.
It was the type of breakout the Celtics had been ready for from their veteran guard, who’s struggled to attain persistently this season towards opponents that don’t want to fret about containing injured celebrity Jayson Tatum. White entered the sport capturing 35.3% and 30.3% from deep, each of which might be profession lows.
“Derrick, every time he’s not taking part in properly, I type of get excited as a result of I do know when he comes out of it, the opposite facet of it’s so significantly better,” Mazzulla mentioned. “That’s simply the belief that I’ve in him as a participant, and that’ll by no means waver.”
White has been a dependable playmaker on protection amid his droop, and that continued Wednesday with one other three steals and one block. Mazzulla singled out White’s chasedown steal towards Jaden Ivey within the second quarter as one of many recreation’s pivotal performs.
“The 2 performs that I believe modified the sport — and actually this can be a credit score to town and the Backyard is we’re 9-8 and haven’t in all probability performed in addition to we needed to have — however Baylor (Scheierman) jumps on the ground for a free ball, Derrick sprints again the total size of the ground and will get the again tip, and your complete power within the Backyard shifts,” the coach mentioned. “I believe town, the Backyard, appreciates — no matter file or end result — they simply admire that kind of mindset, that kind of effort, and that’s what we introduced.
“I believe these two performs particularly, and when Derrick made that play, I knew he was going to snap out of it. So it’s only a credit score to him.”
