Tatum-less Celtics dominate Pistons

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Boston Celtics shrugged off the absence of All-Star Jayson Tatum, raining 20 three-pointers in a lopsided 123-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.

With Tatum sidelined by a sore right knee, reserve Payton Pritchard stepped up to lead the Celtics scoring with 27 points and 10 assists as they notched a 12th straight victory over the Pistons.

Pritchard drilled seven three-pointers and reached 500 for his career — the 10th Celtic to reach that mark.

“Payton’s been awesome,” NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Jaylen Brown said of Pritchard’s contribution off the bench all season, which has him in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year.

“We’ve all seen it coming,” Brown said.

“We’ve got a lot of talent on this team and he’s capable of doing that each and every night.”

Derrick White also made seven from beyond the arc on the way to 23 points.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 19 and Brown chipped in 14 as six Celtics players scored in double figures.

Reserve Luke Kornet was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field on the way to 12 points to help the Celtics bounce back from a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

The Celtics improved to 20-5, one game behind the 21-4 Cleveland Cavaliers atop the Eastern Conference.