DETROIT_Al Horford's offensive rebound and put-back with 1.3 seconds left was deciding blow in the Boston Celtics' 94-92 victory over the Detroit Pistons Saturday night at the Palace.
And it was only fitting that Horford's block of Aron Baynes at the final buzzer sent the Pistons (6-8) to their third straight loss and their first home loss of the season.
Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas scored 24 points in a game that saw six lead changes in the final 2:52.
Marcus Morris led the Pistons with 24 points, and Tobias Harris had 19 points � including the three-pointer that tied the game at 92 with 23 seconds left.
Horford finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots for the Celtics (7-6). He scored the winning basket off a missed shot from Marcus Smart.
Andre Drummond had 20 points and 17 rebounds, but sat the final 30 seconds for Baynes.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy replaced second-year swingman Stanley Johnson in the rotation with Reggie Bullock, who contributed five points.
The Celtics started hot when they made six of their first nine shots and three of their first four triples to take an early 15-9 lead.
The Pistons trailed, 30-23, after a first quarter that saw eight Celtics score. Boston was also 6-for-10 from three-point range.
The Celtics also got a boost from Horford, who had missed nine straight games because of a concussion. He scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed off three assists in the first half.
The Celtics lead by as much as eight points in the first half before settling for a 50-47 halftime lead.
Morris kept the game close with 14 points.
Ish Smith scored 10 points in the third quarter, as the Pistons forged a 73-71 lead going into the fourth quarter.
