It wasn’t a thing of beauty but the Celtics and Pistons played to a 25-25 tie after one quarter. The Celtics shot just 39 percent, but went 3-for-5 from 3-point range. The Pistons weren’t much better missing all five of their 3-point attempts and turning the ball over five times.

Paul Pierce returned to the lineup after missing the last three games games. Pierce drained a 3-pointer and didn’t appear to favor his injured thumb. The news wasn’t so good on Kendrick Perkins who sat out the game with the flu. This is the first game that Perkins has missed all season.

With Perkins out, Shelden Williams became the second big man off the bench in Doc Rivers’ rotation. He has played just seven minutes since Jan. 14.