Once again, it took Rondo until the final minute of the game to get his 10th assist, but thanks to Jared Sullinger, Rondo's streak of games with 10 or more assists continues. He is now just 3 games away from John Stockton's record. Doc kept Rondo in the game in the final minutes, even though it was a blow out, to get his 9th and 10 assists. It wasn't that he wasn't passing. No one could make a shot. The Celtics shot just 45% for the game while they allowed the Pistons to shoot 54%.

2012-11-18 Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe, right, drives against Boston Celtics forward Chris Wilcox in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, in Auburn Hills, Mich. Monroe led the Pistons with 20 points and 13 rebounds in a 103-83 win. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Paul Pierce shot just 5-13 and finished with 13 points and 4 rebounds and left the game in the 4th quarter with a sprained ankle. Hopefully it isn't serious and since the Celtics are off until Wednesday, he should be able to rest it. Brandon Bass shot even worse than Pierce scoring 6 points on 3-9 shooting to go with 2 rebounds. And, Jason Terry shot worse than both of them, hitting just 1 of 6 shots for 5 points and 3 rebounds.



Rondo finished with 12 points, 10 assists and 3 rebounds. Ironically, Rondo was one of the few Celtics who shot well hitting 5-7 shots. KG was another Celtic who shot well hitting 6 of 9 shots for 15 points to go with 4 rebounds. Jared Sullinger had another solid game. His last two baskets gave Rondo his final 2 assists. He finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds.

Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey (3) is fouled by Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger (7) while going to the basket in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, in Auburn Hills, Mich. Stuckey scored 14 points and had five assists in their 103-83 win. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Courtney Lee is still searching for some consistency and finished with just 3 points and 1 rebound. Jeff Green finished with 6 points (2-5) and 2 rebounds. Celtics fans are still waiting for him to play as well as he did in the preseason. Barbosa's shot was off in this game as he hit just 1 of 6 shots for 5 points. Chris Wilcox again played well scoring just 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 5 rebounds. 

Rondo had 10 assists and as a team, the Celtics had just 12. Part of that was the fact that no one could hit their shots but the other part was that they weren't making the extra pass. The Celtics are first in the league with over 25 assists per game. Their offense is predicated on making the extra pass and when those passes stop, they struggle.

The Celtics also think of themselves as a defensive team but tonight the defense was weak and they allowed way too many open and easy shots for the Pistons, who shot a sizzling 54% for the game. The Celtics were also out-rebounded 39-30. Rebounding takes effort and when the effort isn't there on the glass, it often isn't there in the rest of their game either. The Celtics also turned the ball over 17 times. Most of those turnovers were the result of a lack of focus.

Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett (5) shoots against Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

The Celtics lacked energy and were outplayed in just about every facet of the game.  The Pistons outscored the Celtics in the paint 44-30.  The Celtics mostly settled for jumpers and when they did get into the paint they missed their shots, even layups.  Detroit had 20 fast break points to just 4 for the Celtics.   The chemistry that seemed so good in the Raptors game was completely gone in this game.

The Celtics were playing in the second of back to back games on the road, but Saturday's game was a blow out and no one played big minutes. They have long had a problem with playing down to their competition and have often been surprised by teams they should have beaten. Let's hope they got it out of their system because the next two games are going to be tough. They face the Spurs and Thunder this week and those aren't teams to be taken lightly.

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