Jaylen Brown scored 33 points and the NBA-leading Boston Celtics defeated poor Detroit 129-102 in the Motor City for their eighth straight win.
Boston improved to 56-15 on Saturday (AEDT), taking first place in the Eastern Conference, while the Pistons are tied for last place with the Washington Wizards (12-58) and 44 points behind the Celtics. It makes a difference in the game.
Peyton Pritchard had 20 points, Derrick White had 19 points and 11 assists, while Jayson Tatum was sidelined for the second time in five days with an ankle injury in Tuesday's 119-94 win over the same opponent. He also missed the home game.
James Wiseman scored a season-high 24 points for the home team, which has lost nine straight against Boston.
The score was tied at 43 in the second period, but the Celtics enjoyed a 47-21 run to take a 90-64 lead with 6:10 left in the third period.
In Toronto, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points in his only home away trip of the regular season, Chet Holmgren had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Oklahoma City pulled away late to beat the underdog Raptors 123-103.
Jalen Williams scored 20 points, Kenrich Williams and Kayson Wallace each had 12 points, and Australian Josh Giddy added 10 points for the Western Conference-leading Thunder (49-20), who won their fourth straight game. They improved to 21-13 on the road, extending Toronto's season-worst losing streak to nine.
Before the game, Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. (back) was ruled out as the hosts will be without seven players, including all five of their regular starters.
They had a season-worst 27 turnovers. OKC scored 37 points off those mistakes, the most points Toronto has allowed in a game this season.
Oklahoma City trailed by seven points at the end of the first quarter, but went on a 15-2 run in the second quarter, taking a 45-37 lead on Guidy's 3-pointer with 9:08 left in the first half. The Thunder led 63-56 at halftime and led 89-78 four times.
There were also wins for the teams that placed 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 9th in the West Region.
The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated Cleveland 104-91, and the Los Angeles Clippers held off Portland, whose Aussie duo Reese scored 13 points in a 125-117 loss.
The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Heat 111-88 in Miami, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Philadelphia 101-94.
Indiana and Memphis also had success.
