Payton Pritchard had 27 points and 10 assists off the bench to lead the Celtics (20-5). Derrick White finished the game with 23 points and Jaylen Brown had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. After a slow start on offense, the Celtics ultimately shot 51.1 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from the 3-point line. Ron Holland had 26 points and led the Pistons, who made just 7 of 37 3-pointers.

It was a rocky start on both sides, with both teams only managing one of eleven shots between them. After a long period of sloppy play, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla entered the field and called a timeout with 7:34 left after his team had taken the lead by just a few inches.

This Boston team often needed just seconds to score five points, and the fact that it had taken nearly five minutes meant it was a good time to restart. This interruption didn’t really change the tone.

Boston started 4-18 with three turnovers, but the fact that those atrocious numbers only resulted in a 12-11 deficit is evidence that things weren’t going well on the other side either.

Luke Kornet came off the bench and gave Boston new life. The backup center converted a putback into a 3-point play, scored inside and then added an alley-oop. Boston is most dangerous from beyond the 3-point arc, but its final five baskets of the quarter came in the paint, helping it take a 27-16 lead heading into the second quarter.

The Celtics finally got one of their signature shots on goal when Pritchard and White scored three points before Pritchard charged in for a layup. The 8-0 late in the quarter occurred in just 44 seconds and gave the Celtics their largest lead at 59-42.

Sometimes when Tatum sits, Brown feels the need to make up for the lack of his point and is also probably a little tempted by the chance to get off a few extra shots. But on Thursday he didn’t force anything and found good chances for his teammates. At halftime, he had five assists and just five shot attempts.

At the start of the third quarter, Brown gave Boston a brief scoring run. He hit a 3-pointer and converted 3-pointers in quick succession, helping Boston build a 68-49 lead. That start was the start of the best offensive quarter of the night for the Celtics. They were 13 for 23 from the field and 6 for 11 from the 3-point line in the period, and there was no reason to believe their 93-68 lead would be in jeopardy.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.