Rotowire

Celtics Crossover Gaming had a chance to reset in the TIPOFF, powered by AT&T last week, and they finally won a game against Mavs Gaming, which is one of the few bright spots for Boston. Staring at a 0-7 record, CLTX needed to make some serious adjustments to salvage the season in Week 7. Pistons GT had a decent showing last week and advanced to the playoffs, but Jazz Gaming stole the win from them in the third game of the series. Both of these teams were in desperate need of a mid-season surge, and ultimately the Pistons prevailed here despite a respectable Game 2 from the struggling Celtics.

Ramo is one of the league’s premier centers, and he made his presence known early as the synergy between him and Demon JT was in full effect in the first quarter. The Celtics had their work cut out for them as they trailed at the end of the first frame, 22-14. CTX lives and dies by oFab’s play and he was about the only player to find the basket as the Celtics could only muster 23 points in the first half. The Pistons commanded a huge 41-23 lead going into the second half. DevGoss, who made a recent move to the lockdown position, was on his way to a big stat line as he ramped up his involvement with some key plays on both sides of the ball in the second and third quarter. The Celtics’ defense began to fall apart in the third frame as multiple players slashed into the paint with relative ease, and they found themselves down by 24 heading into the fourth. oFab represented 35 of the Celtics’ 43 points at this juncture, evidence that the standout guard sorely needed support from the rest of the squad. Pistons GT really flexed their muscles in the fourth quarter, and what stood out was their needle-threading ballhandling. With every starting player scoring in double digits by this point, their passing game and ball distribution was humming on all cylinders. oFab did what he could, but one marquee guy wasn’t enough to beat the resurgent Pistons. They easily took Game 1, 94-69. DevGoss led all Pistons scorers with 27 points, five assists and three steals, and Ramo was the cornerstone of this balanced attack with a brilliant 16/12/11 triple-double. oFab scored an insane 54 points and made 37 shots during the contest.

Desperate for a win, the Celtics came out shooting, and they managed a 14-5 run to begin the game. Unsurprisingly, it was oFab who led CTX’s charge, posting 17 of the Celtics’ 20 points to end the first quarter. The Celtics held a convincing lead in the second quarter, as the Pistons as a whole were ice-cold from the floor, but Demon JT made a great shot and immediate steal that closed the gap to a two-possession game. He then closed it to three with another excellent shot. That sequence sucked the momentum right out of CLTX’s sails, and they went into the locker room at halftime nursing a slim 35-32 lead at the half. oFab was once again the linchpin for Boston, as he already had 23 points over two quarters. The Pistons took the lead 37-36 for the first time with four minutes left in the third, and you could almost see the dark clouds of fear and indecision for CLTX as their lead began to evaporate. oFab would not be denied, however, and he put his game in another gear to keep things competitive. They exchanged baskets through the rest of the frame, and the Celtics managed to squeak out a one-point lead going into the fourth. The Pistons lit on fire to begin the final frame, as they launched a 4-0 run before oFab ended the streak with a jumper. Shots by Charger and DevGoss swung momentum the Pistons’ way, and then three consecutive steals resulted in three scores for the Pistons giving them an almost insurmountable 10-point lead with less than two minutes to go. Celtics Crossover’s 22 total turnovers proved to be the dagger as the Pistons pulled off a 79-71 win despite a frigid beginning of Game 2. oFab tried to keep the Celtics in it with 45 points and five steals, but his seven turnovers were costly by game’s end.

Celtics Crossover Gaming (0-8) faces Mavs Gaming on Thursday, while Pistons GT (2-7) will look to keep the momentum going in Week 9 versus Kings Guard Gaming.