AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — There will be times when Brad Stevens is confounded by his team’s personality, which is going to change on a given night.
Or in a given quarter.
The Celtics changed speeds so often in Wednesday night’s 119-116 loss to Detroit, not even a near comeback in the last two minutes could cement their true identity.
The Celtics thus lost for the second time this year on the second night of a back-to-back swing, stopping a win streak in that department at four straight.
Isaiah Thomas tied his career high with 38 points, but much of that work was undone by one of the more careless Celtic performances with the ball in recent weeks, as Detroit converted 18 turnovers by the Celtics into 23 points.