The Boston Celtics simply could not keep the Detroit Pistons off of the free throw line on Sunday night. Detroit went to the line 46 times for the game, which they converted into 29 points on their way to a 96-81 win. The loss was the Celtics' third straight and fifth in their last six games, putting them back at .500 on the season.
The Celtics made it to the charity stripe just 15 times by comparison. Perhaps even more discouraging were the turnovers. Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce committed five and six, respectively, and Boston gave up the ball 22 times total. 13 came off steals by the Pistons, including four by Rodney Stuckey.
The Pistons guard had 16 points on the night, going 12-for-15 from the free throw line. Greg Monroe led Detroit with 17 points on 8-for-19 from the field. He and Jason Maxiell had 10 rebounds each. Pierce led the Celtics with 18 points. Ray Allen and Chris Wilcox were the only other Celtics players to hit double digits, as Rondo went 1-for-6 from the field for two of his five points on the night.
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