Jaylen Brown and the Celtics got off to a fast start to put away the Pistons

They shot better than they have in any other game this season, and it wasn’t even enough to stop the Celtics offense constantly swarming them.

Even with centerpiece Jayson Tatum out with a knee injury, the Celtics’ offense is relentless and spirit-boosting.

The Celtics were virtually on autopilot in a 130-120 win, shooting 45 of 94 from the floor, casually making 53 3s and hitting 21 of them, and otherwise treating the Pistons more like bowling pins than people.

The Pistons were in a 19-point hole in the first quarter before they could blink. Jaylen Brown scored 15 of his 28 points in the first quarter, on 5 of 8 shooting from the floor, 3 of 5 from 3 and 5 of 8 from the line.

It was the third time in the last three weeks that Brown opened the game with a double-digit score in the first game (16 vs. Atlanta, Nov. 12; 15 vs. Minnesota, Nov. 24).

At the 13-second mark, he made an exclamation point by punching past Ron Holland, turning the free-throw lane into a launching pad and beating Pistons enforcer Isaiah Stewart with a two-handed flush.

He paused to stare at Stewart and hunch, then ran his thumb across his throat for emphasis. While the gesture did not result in a technical penalty, it could later cost him a fine.

The lead never fell below five points, and the Pistons were never within two possessions of the ball.

Replacing Tatum, Sam Hauser scored 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the floor and 5 of 10 from three. He scored 14 points in the third quarter alone.

All five Celtics starters finished in double figures. Kristaps Porzingis gave the Celtics 26 and 9 rebounds. Al Horford added 14 points. Derrick White finished the game with 14 points and 11 assists and Payton Pritchard added 19 off the bench, ending his streak of at least 20 points in four games.

The Celtics haven’t scored fewer than 100 points since Jan. 27, when they lost 115-96 on the road to the Clippers.

Against any other opponent, 58 points in the first half is usually enough to win. Entering Wednesday, teams that had 58 shots on the board in the first half had a winning percentage of 65.6 (187-98).

But the Celtics are different.

This was the seventh time this season that they conceded at least 58 points in the first half. In these games the score is 6:1.

For the Pistons, the evening had an unpleasant feeling of déjà vu. They were at the end of a back-to-back, and the night before, in Milwaukee, they scored 59 points in the first half but gave up 72.

18 turnovers and 55 rebounds didn’t help their cause. All 10 Celtics that touched the floor grabbed at least one board.

The Celtics have won 11 straight games against Detroit since 2022.

Julian Benbow can be reached at [email protected].