Celtics Pistons Basketball

Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) and Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) vie for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Auburn Hills, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016.

(Paul Sancya | AP)

AUBURN HILLS -- Things aren't going well for the Detroit Pistons these days, and that includes coach Stan Van Gundy.

The Pistons dropped their third straight game Saturday, a 94-92 loss to the Boston Celtics at the Palace that saw the returning Al Hoford score the winning basket with 1.3 seconds left.

Afterward, Van Gundy, visibly frustrated and drained mentally, was second-guessing his decision to remove All-Star center Andre Drummond with 30 seconds left.

"Had he been in the game, we'd probably get the rebound and we're probably still playing instead of me talking to you.

"Not that I don't enjoy talking to you guys and everything -- but that could have waited another 45 minutes."

Horford's game-winning basket came after the Pistons -- who out-rebounded Boston, 50-46 -- allowed two offensive rebounds on the Celtics' final possession.

Boston's Marcus Smart crashed the rim after a missed 3-point basket from the right corner by Jae Crowder. When his tipped short grazed the front rim, there was Horford -- playing in his first game since Oct. 29 (concussion), without a body in front of him -- to rebound the miss, put it off glass and through the net.

"It was tough for me to watch," Drummond said. "I really wish I could have been out there to try and make a difference on that play. But, coach obviously knows best and the cards didn't fall that way."

As it turns out, a miscalculation by Van Gundy meant Drummond -- signed to a five-year, $125 million contract extension over the summer -- was not in the game for the Celtics' final possession.

The Pistons' coach opted to go with backup center Aron Baynes on their final offensive possession instead, a designed play to get Tobias Harris open on the wing for a 3-point shot. It worked -- Harris tied the game at 92 with 23 seconds left -- but the Brad Stevens-led Celtics instead rushed the ball down the floor.

"They didn't call timeout, so we couldn't get him back on the floor," Van Gundy said.

"He was out for the execution of the play. And not that he can't execute it, but just -- we've run that play before and Aron's really good at it. As it turned out, quite honestly, I'm not sure Aron's part in it really had a lot to do with it.

"Obviously we did execute it, but I'm like kicking myself right now."

Turns out, the Pistons had four players around the basket for Horford's tip-in. Baynes was boxed out and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope stood there watching, leaving the under-sized Tobias Harris and Ish Smith to compete with the 6-foor-10 Horford for the basketball.

While no guarantee, having the 6-foot-11 Drummond (20 points, 17 rebounds) on the floor would have given the Pistons an opportunity to play for overtime.

Instead, it left Van Gundy hanging his head. Detroit (6-8) has lost three straight games and six of its last eight.

"I could see it in his face. He felt like he made a mistake," Drummond said. "I believe in Aron Baynes, and it just didn't fall. You can't fault him for that. (It's) a game of basketball -- anything can happen."