The Boston Celtics took down the visiting Detroit Pistons at TD Garden on Monday, 113 - 109. Boston (30 - 18) has now won four straight games despite the absence of starting shooting guard Avery Bradley. The Celtics have quickly climbed the Eastern Conference standings and now sit a game ahead of the Raptors for second place in the East. Much of the team's success has been due to the incredible play of point guard Isaiah Thomas. The two - time All-Star is closing in on Russell Westbrook for the scoring title, gradually increasing his averages with performances like Monday's 41 - point explosion. Thomas scored 24 of his points in the fourth quarter, a trend he has firmly established throughout the season. The 5'9 superstar leads the league in fourth quarter scoring at over 10 points per night. Part of his success on Monday was due to his strength at the free - throw line, where he shot a perfect 15 - of - 15. He added a stellar eight assists. The Celtics also saw strong play from veteran All-Star Al Horford. Horford had missed the previous two games with a groin injury but looked in fine form on Monday, scoring 13 points to go with six rebounds, six assists, and a pair of blocks on Detroit's Andre Drummond. Forward Jae Crowder, meanwhile, scored 21 points while knocking down four three - pointers. Three-pointers gave the edge to Boston despite a rebounding and fast - break deficit, as the team made 13 threes while holding Detroit to only three. For Detroit (21 - 27), center Andre Drummond had a monster game. Drummond led the team with 28 points and pulled down a whopping 22 rebounds. He acted as the clear leader of the team, with point guard Reggie Jackson experiencing struggles while on the floor. Despite saying that matching up against a top - tier point guard like Thomas would act as inspiration for his performance, Jackson shot just 4 - of - 12 from the field and fouled out in 28 minutes of play. Bench point guard Ish Smith, however, did not have the same struggles. Smith shot 6 - of - 7 from the field and had a pair of blocks, including one on Isaiah Thomas that led to a clutch fast - break bucket. Up next for Boston is a matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. The Pistons, meanwhile, will see the Pelicans on Wednesday.
["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 18 Losses ,has 113 Total points ,has 30 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 27 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 21 Wins ."]