AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers knows that his team would struggle to beat anyone in the NBA at the moment.

Trying to beat the Detroit Pistons with newly acquired Chris Webber was nearly impossible.

Webber had 17 points and 6 assists as the Pistons put on a passing clinic for three quarters while handing the Celtics their 15th straight loss, 109-102, last night.

“We really didn’t have a chance,” Rivers said. “We played a better team tonight. They had some match-up advantages, and they went right at us. The problem is that, with Webber in the middle, there’s not much you can do. He might be their best passer.”

Antonio McDyess finished with 18 points in 20 minutes, hitting his first eight shots before Kendrick Perkins blocked the ninth.

“I got some easy baskets early and I just kept going,” he said. “He didn’t foul me on the ninth one, either. That was a good block.”

McDyess and Webber combined to shoot 17-for-22 against Boston’s overmatched interior defense.

“We just couldn’t stop anything in the post,” said Wally Szczerbiak. “When we didn’t double, they got a layup. When we did double, someone cut to the basket, they made a pass and they still got a layup.”

Pistons coach Flip Saunders was only disappointed by the fourth quarter, which saw the Celtics rally from a 24-point deficit to make the final score respectable.

“Your main guys should have the opportunity to sit down and ice in the fourth quarter of a game like that,” he said. “We had to bring those guys back with five minutes left to make sure we won the thing.”

Rivers, though, wasn’t impressed.

“I’m not going to put a lot of stock in that,” he said. “I’m not sure how much the other team was still competing at that point.”

The Celtics, who extended the worst losing streak in franchise history, haven’t won since a 128-119 victory in Memphis on Jan. 5. They have allowed at least 100 points in five straight games.

“We did what we were supposed to do,” said Chauncey Billups. “That team is obviously struggling, and we jumped on them. They kept fighting, but we won the game.”

Boston also had to send forward Paul Pierce home with an infected left elbow. Pierce, who has missed Boston’s last 23 games with a foot injury, is expected to be hospitalized for at least two days, which will push his possible return back past the All-Star break.

Billups led Detroit with 24 points, while Richard Hamilton had 10 points and a season-high 11 assists.

“That was surprising, given the way Rip usually chases shots,” McDyess joked as Hamilton got dressed in the adjoining locker. “He actually throws a nice pass.”

Ryan Gomes led Boston with 19 points, despite playing only four minutes in the second half.

Boston kept the game close for a quarter, only trailing 25-20 after the first, but were unable to slow down Detroit’s offense.

The Pistons shot 72.2 percent in the second, led by 10 points from McDyess, and took a 56-40 lead into the intermission.

“The bench really put us in a hole in the second quarter — it was a five-point game when they went in there,” Rivers said. “This isn’t fun. These guys want to win a game, and I need to find a way to make that happen.”

NOTES: The Pistons have won seven straight over Boston and are 12-1 against their former archrivals in the last four seasons. …

The Celtics are 2-21 since Pierce’s injury. ... Pierce still leads the Celtics in points scored despite missing half of the season. ...