National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Boston 96, Detroit 85
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, December 30, 2011
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, # Karl Lane
Attendance: 18624

Jermaine O’Neal collected 19 points and seven rebounds as the Boston Celtics picked up their first victory of the season, 96-85, over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Friday.

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for the Celtics, who welcomed Paul Pierce to the lineup for the first time. After sitting out the first three games with a bruised heel, Pierce played 23 minutes on Friday, recording 12 points, five assists and four rebounds.

O’Neal totaled eight points in the first three games but came out more aggressive against the Pistons, scoring 10 in the first half to pace Boston to a 50-43 edge at the break.

The Celtics started to run away with it in the third quarter, when Allen and Pierce hit back-to-back 3-pointers to begin the frame. Bass scored nine points in the quarter and O’Neal had seven as Boston outscored Detroit, 36-21.

The Pistons made a brief run at the beginning of the fourth quarter but the gap proved to be too much.

Greg Monroe scored 22 points to lead Detroit, which fell to 0-3.
Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Boston
Greg Monroe 22 Scoring Jermaine O'Neal 19
Rodney Stuckey 7 Assists Keyon Dooling 5
Greg Monroe 9 Rebounds Jermaine O'Neal 7
Greg Monroe 4 Free Throws Made Ray Allen 5
Greg Monroe 2 Steals Ray Allen 1
N/A Blocks Marquis Daniels 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Detroit 85 43.0 3-16 14-15 18 35 0 3 12
Boston 96 52.2 7-16 19-19 25 30 6 4 11
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Celtics have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Indiana. The Pistons have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.