Garnett propels Celtics past Pistons into play-offs

Kevin Garnett poured in a season-high 31 points to spark the Boston Celtics to a 90-78 home victory over the Detroit Pistons and become the first team to reach the NBA play-offs.

The red-hot Celtics sent an early message to Detroit, their closest rivals in the Eastern Conference, never trailing as they rolled to their sixth successive win.

"This was a big game for us," Garnett told reporters. "To win this, we have the top record. It was a huge game for us and we knew that from day one."

The Atlantic Division leaders now have the NBA's best record and own a four-game lead over Central Division-leading Detroit in the East.

The Celtics opened a 14-point lead but were caught as the Pistons used a 17-3 run to tie the game at 69-69 early in the fourth quarter. However, the visitors never took the lead and scored just nine more points as Boston eased away for the victory.

Boston's Kendrick Perkins had a career-high 20 rebounds to go with 10 points. Billups led the Pistons with 23 points, including 14-of-15 from the foul line, and Rasheed Wallace had 23 points.