Pistons Rally From 22 Down to Beat Paul George's Celtics in Season Opener, 121-113

The Detroit Pistons erased a 22-point deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 on Tuesday night, spoiling Paul George's regular-season debut in a Celtics uniform on the opening night of the 2026-27 NBA season.

George, obtained by Boston in the summer trade that sent two-time Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, scored a game-high 38 points on 12-of-21 shooting to go with five rebounds, five steals and three assists in 31 minutes, according to his official NBA.com player page. It was not enough. Detroit outscored Boston 39-25 in the fourth quarter to complete the turnaround at Little Caesars Arena, a comeback that began after the Celtics had led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter.

The Numbers

Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points, eight assists and four rebounds for Detroit, and Jalen Duren added 22 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting, both lines confirmed on their official NBA.com player pages. Reserve wing Javonte Green, who did not play in the first half, scored all 19 of his points after halftime and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer that put Detroit up for good inside the final four minutes. Duncan Robinson added 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.

Boston got 17 points apiece from Derrick White and Payton Pritchard to go with George's 38, but Jayson Tatum, playing in his first regular-season game since tearing his Achilles tendon in May 2025, shot just 6 of 23 from the field, finishing with 13 points and 11 assists, per ESPN's box score. The Celtics led 72-50 early in the third quarter before Detroit's defense, keyed by Ausar Thompson's 11 points and 11 rebounds, began forcing the misses that fueled the rally.

The final sequence of the comeback unfolded in a span of barely two minutes. With Boston still clinging to a lead in the fourth quarter, Green buried a 3-pointer to put Detroit ahead, Duren converted a three-point play on the Pistons' next possession, and Robinson added another 3 to make it 107-99 with 5:10 remaining. Green's fifth 3-pointer of the night, with 3:33 left, stretched the margin to 13 and effectively settled the outcome.

• Final: Pistons 121, Celtics 113 (Detroit outscored Boston 39-25 in the fourth quarter)
• Paul George (BOS): 38 points, 12-of-21 shooting, 5 steals, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
• Jalen Duren (DET): 22 points, 9 rebounds; Cade Cunningham (DET): 22 points, 8 assists
• Javonte Green (DET): 19 points, all scored in the second half off the bench

A Blockbuster's First Test

The game doubled as the first on-court look at one of the offseason's biggest trades. Boston sent Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP, to Philadelphia on July 1 in exchange for George and multiple future draft picks. George, a nine-time All-Star, had two years left on the four-year, $212 million contract he signed with Philadelphia in 2024, but his lone full season with the 76ers was interrupted by injury and, in its final months, by a 25-game suspension under the NBA's anti-drug program for taking what the league described as an improper medication.

Tuesday marked George's first appearance in a Celtics jersey outside the preseason, and by that measure alone it was a success: his 38 points were the most ever scored by a player in his official debut with the franchise, according to the game notes on the league's game page for the matchup. The trade package Boston sent to Philadelphia also included multiple future first- and second-round draft picks, a cost the front office accepted in order to pair George with Tatum rather than rebuild around draft capital, as Brown — who turns 30 on Oct. 24 and has three years left on his own contract — begins a new chapter with the 76ers. But the result left Boston 0-1 to open the first season since 2007-08 without Brown on the roster, a transition new coach Joe Mazzulla and the front office are still managing on the fly.

Who Is Affected

For Detroit, the win is an early answer to a summer of roster turnover under coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who added veteran forward John Collins and guard Isaiah Joe to a core already built around Cunningham, last season's All-NBA guard, and the 22-year-old Duren at center. The Pistons, who returned to the playoffs last season after years of rebuilding, had split their last four regular-season meetings with Boston; Tuesday's win opened this one on a high note in front of their home crowd, and it came with the kind of balance the franchise has lacked in past seasons: five Pistons reached double figures, and the decisive scoring in the fourth quarter came from Green, a bench piece, rather than from Cunningham or Duren alone.

For Boston, the loss raises early questions about how quickly the 36-year-old George, coming off the most turbulent season of his career, can mesh alongside Tatum, who is still working back to full strength after his Achilles injury. Both players were central to Boston's calculation in trading away Brown, and getting outscored 39-25 in the fourth quarter of an opening-night game is the kind of lapse the Celtics will be asked about as the season unfolds, even with George's individual scoring line offering reason for optimism.

What's Next

Detroit (1-0) travels to Miami to face the Heat on Friday. Boston (0-1) returns home to host the New York Knicks the same night, its first chance to right itself in front of its own fans.