“They’re a championship team; they’ve got a championship identity,” Cunningham said. “Play a great brand of basketball, so it’s always a test for us coming in. It’s a game we love coming in for because we know that they’re going to test us and play good basketball.”

Jaylen Brown and Isaiah Stewart got into a scuffle under the rim which led to both players getting technicals after Brown made a fist at him.

As the trade window opens, Boston’s strong start has clarified how the Celtics could approach the center market moving forward.

In the final five minutes, Brown hit a 3-pointer and blocked two shots to help Boston cut a nine-point deficit to two. But he also had a turnover, a shooting foul and, most consequentially, two missed free throws during that closing stretch.

As good as Cunningham was for the Pistons, White was just as important for the Celtics. Guard Jaylen Brown may have led the team with 34 points (13-of-25 FG), eight rebounds and seven assists, but White kept the Celtics in contention late with 23 of his season-high 31 points coming in the second half.

With Jayson Tatum recovering a lost postseason Achilles tear, the Celtics entered the season with little pressure to succeed. If they struggle, no big deal. If they make the playoffs, it’s a successful year, and anything beyond that is a bonus.

Following his first three-game losing streak in two years, Jaylen Brown reiterated a belief he had stated several times before. This was in late October, after a frustrating road loss to the Detroit Pistons. At 0-3, Brown and the Boston Celtics were in an unfamiliar situation. He still wanted to give his young team time.

Former NBA All-Star Penny Hardaway is planning to spend his brief holiday break watching basketball. Just not the NBA.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst ruled out the possibility of the Boston Celtics, or the NBA's 28 other teams, extracting big man Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clipper