Jaylen Brown did not play in Boston’s loss to Detroit on Wednesday because of a left thigh contusion. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Jaylen Brown sat out the second game of a back-to-back when the Boston Celtics had their six-game winning streak snapped with a 117-97 loss to the Pistons on Wednesday.

Brown suffered a left thigh contusion Tuesday in Boston’s 111-101 win over Toronto.

Brown played through the pain Tuesday, but coach Joe Mazzulla pulled him late in the game because Brown looked uncomfortable. Brown scored 24 points in 33 minutes.

“He’s pretty banged up,” Mazzulla said after Wednesday’s game. “He’s feeling a little bit better. He’s pretty banged up, though, from last night. Just doing what’s best for him.”

Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis all returned Wednesday after sitting against the Raptors. Porzingis was a late scratch Tuesday because of an illness, while Horford sat out with a sore left toe and Holiday sat out to rest.

The Celtics stayed in the game Wednesday thanks to their 3-point shooting but appeared to run out of gas in the second half. The red-hot Pistons, who have won eight straight, proved too much to overcome.

Boston hopes Brown will be available Friday in its matchup with Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland.

“You’re kind of just doing what’s best for him,” Mazzulla said. “He’s a guy where he puts his body through a lot and plays so much regardless. Sometimes you gotta save the guys from themselves. It just felt like what was best for him and what was best for the team.”

MALIK BEASLEY scored 14 points in the second half as the Pistons pulled away. Beasley led a hyped Pistons squad, celebrating with emotion a number of his 3-pointers in the second half. Those celebrations earned a playful jab from his coach JB Bickerstaff.

“I told him he’s ruining a generation of players because every time they hit a 3 they want to hit a shimmy instead of getting back on defense, including my son,” Bickerstaff said.

Mazzulla was asked about Beasley’s reaction after the game.

“It’s the arena,” Mazzulla said. “He’s earned the right to do that. If you play that way and your team is winning and you feel you’ve earned the right to do that, that’s your choice. That’s on us for allowing him to feel that way. The only way we can control that is by defending him better.”

The Celtics failed to provide much resistance in the second half, allowing the Pistons to shoot 52.8 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range. Boston also was outscored 62-20 in the paint.

CAVALIERS COACH Kenny Atkinson said he views Friday’s matchup with Boston as a chance for Cleveland to test itself. Boston leads the season series 2-1.

“For our belief, we’re obviously a confident team,” Atkinson said. “But the OKCs, the Bostons, the Memphises, you want to test yourself. You want to see where you are. Boston is the cream. Let’s face it. They’re playing great. Defending champions. This is like the perfect time — this is going to be a really fun test for us and a good challenge. But I’m interested to see where we measure up against them.”

The Cavaliers have won eight straight since losing to Boston in Cleveland, 112-105, on Feb. 4. They have also won 12 of their last 13.

Cleveland (48-10) has a 6 1/2 game lead over Boston (42-17) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. With 23 games left, the Celtics will have a hard time catching Cleveland, but they could meet in the East finals.

“We still gotta prove we can beat them, beat them in their place,” Atkinson said. “I think we go in there and kind of guns blazing. We gotta go for the win, whatever it takes and throw everything at them.”