BOSTON – Missing a few shots more than usual, it happens to all NBA players who are known as scorers.
But for Isaiah Thomas, the first true sign that it was not going to be his night was when he started missing free throws, a rare sight when he’s at the line.
Even though Thomas had a strong fourth quarter, all those misses from the field and from the line eventually led to a missed opportunity for Boston as the Celtics blew a 13-point lead in losing 99-94 to Detroit.
“It was one of those nights where nothing would fall,” Thomas, who tallied four of Boston’s seven missed free throws, told reporters. “Whether it be lay-ups, mid-range shot, a three-pointer, even free throws. I usually don’t miss free throws.”
Thomas misfiring was consistent with the shooting by most of the Boston Celtics who collectively were 37.4 percent from the field, and even worst (6-for-28, 21.4 percent) on threes.
We’ve seen the Celtics struggle shooting the ball most of this season.
Boston came into the game ranked 25th out of 30 NBA teams, in shooting percentage (.429).
Boston Celtics
And while Thomas has had his share of rough nights shooting the ball, Wednesday was a bit rougher than usual.
“There are going to be nights like that,” said Thomas, an 89.9 percent free throw shooter who was 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) against Detroit. “But I tried to keep at it. It opened up a little for me (in the fourth quarter), but not enough.”
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Wednesday night’s game.
STARS
Reggie Jackson
The former Boston College star led all scorers with 24 points on 8-for-15 shooting along with six assists and just one turnover. Jackson was especially good for the Pistons in the fourth quarter, scoring nine points which led all Detroit players in fourth quarter scoring.
Andre Drummond
This was not one of Drummond’s best games, but he did major damage to Boston’s defense when it mattered most. He scored just 13 points and grabbed just five rebounds, but his presence and overall impact was undeniable and played a pivotal role in Detroit rallying from 13-down to get the win.
STUDS
Isaiah Thomas
Like Drummond, Thomas also had one of his worst nights offensively this season. But to Thomas’ credit, he managed to get into a bit of a rhythm in the fourth quarter which is when he scored 15 of his team-high 22 points. But like most of his shots (he was 6-for-20 from the field), Thomas’ fourth quarter efforts came up short.
Stanley Johnson
The rookie shook off some tough calls and turnovers to finish with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. He also drained a 3-pointer in front of the Celtics bench with less than a minute to play, one of the biggest shots of the night.
DUDS
Marcus Smart
As much as Isaiah Thomas struggled with his shot, Smart was even more off the mark. He finished with just two points, missing nine of his 10 shots from the field. He had a moment here and there when his defense stood out, but for the most part Smart had little impact on the game.
Home court (dis)advantage
Boston continues to struggle when playing in front of their own fans, and are now a sub-.500 team (9-10) at the TD Garden. It’s still early to play the “if only if…” game but at this point, it’s hard not to look at some of the games that the Celtics have let slip away and not think that it’ll come back and bite them something fierce at the end of the season when they are fighting for a playoff berth or a higher seeding.