# Detroit Pistons roar back from 22 down to stun Celtics 121-113 in historic NBA season opener

Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com)
Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/basketball/detroit-pistons-roar-back-from-22-down-to-stun-celtics-121-113-in-historic-nba-s
Language: en
Published: 2026-10-21T03:09:09.002+00:00
Updated: 2026-10-21T03:09:09.065438+00:00

> Detroit outscored Boston 71-41 after falling behind 72-50 to complete the largest opening-day comeback of the play-by-play era, spoiling Paul George's record-setting Celtics debut.

## TL;DR
- The Pistons erased a 22-point second-half deficit to beat the Celtics 121-113 in the 2026-27 NBA season opener, setting the play-by-play era record for the largest opening-day comeback and wasting Paul George's franchise-record 38-point Boston debut.
- Javonte Green's 19 second-half points after a first-half DNP and Duncan Robinson's 15 fourth-quarter points powered a 23-0 fourth-quarter run that sealed the win.
- Paul George's 38 points set a Celtics franchise-debut record, while Jayson Tatum struggled with 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting.

## Key points
- Detroit trailed 72-50 midway through the third quarter, then outscored Boston 71-41 the rest of the way to win 121-113.
- A 23-0 fourth-quarter run in under five minutes turned a 12-point hole into a 112-99 lead with 3:33 remaining.
- The 22-point comeback is the largest on an NBA opening day in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98), per NBA Communications.
- Javonte Green scored all 19 of his points in the second half after not playing the first half; Duncan Robinson scored 15 of his 21 in the fourth.
- Paul George's 38 points set a Celtics record for a franchise debut and made him the first player since 1973-74 with 35+ points and 5+ steals in a team debut.
- Jayson Tatum shot 6-of-23 (0-of-7 from three) for 13 points; Detroit heads to Miami on Friday while Boston hosts the Knicks the same night.

DETROIT — For 28 minutes on opening day, the new-look Boston Celtics looked every bit like the Eastern Conference powerhouse they intend to be. Then the Detroit Pistons remembered exactly who they are.

The Pistons erased a 22-point second-half deficit to beat the Celtics 121-113 on Tuesday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena, completing the largest opening-day comeback in the play-by-play era — a record stretching back to 1997-98, according to NBA Communications. It was also the first comeback of at least 20 points on an NBA opening day since 1997.

Down 72-50 midway through the third quarter, Detroit outscored Boston 71-41 the rest of the way. The knockout blow was a staggering 23-0 run in under five minutes in the fourth, turning a 12-point hole into the game's biggest lead, 112-99, with 3:33 left.

"I mean it's just who we are," Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said afterward. "These guys are relentless. You know, they never say die. As long as there is time on the clock they believe they can win. It talks to the resolve of the group, but again, how connected the group is."

## Unlikely heroes ignite the rally

![File photo: Jalen Duren shooting a free throw in January 2026.](https://dcwdppdscydjemfvownz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1792552142294-gef62t-basketball-inside1-2026-10-21-morning.jpg)


Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren each scored 22 points to lead Detroit, but the comeback belonged to the supporting cast. Javonte Green did not play a single minute in the first half. Inserted in the third quarter with the Pistons searching for a spark, the veteran scored 19 points in the second half, drilling three consecutive three-pointers to fuel a 32-13 run, then adding the go-ahead basket in the fourth before capping the 23-0 burst that broke Boston.

Green, the only Piston to appear in all 82 games last season, finished 5-of-8 from deep. Duncan Robinson was just as lethal: 21 points on 5-of-9 three-point shooting, with 15 of them coming in the fourth quarter on 3-of-4 from beyond the arc plus 6-of-8 free throws. Together, Green and Robinson shot 9-of-13 from deep after Detroit had opened the game 4-of-22 from three; the Pistons went 11-of-22 from long range in the second half.

"We just didn't do our brand of basketball good enough in the first half. And we had to turn it up," Cunningham said. "You know, we had a good talk at halftime, and we lit that fire a little bit better."

Duren, who agreed to a new five-year, $200 million contract earlier this month, added nine rebounds and two steals on 8-of-13 shooting. "It just embodied the culture and what we're trying to build here," Duren said. "We're a team who's known to be gritty, knowing when to get out of the mud, knowing when to never quit. And that's our identity."

Detroit's defense did the rest. The Pistons held Boston to 38.5 percent shooting in the second half, dominated the glass for a 24-16 edge in second-chance points, and turned up the pressure as the Celtics unraveled. Ausar Thompson delivered the signature defensive sequence — a steal on Neemias Queta leading to a Cunningham fastbreak dunk — then buried a pullup jumper just before the shot-clock buzzer in the final two minutes to snuff out Boston's last push.

## Paul George's historic debut goes to waste

![File photo: Duncan Robinson in his previous Heat uniform; he scored 21 points off the bench for Detroit.](https://dcwdppdscydjemfvownz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1792552145297-wv51qw-basketball-inside2-2026-10-21-morning.jpg)


Paul George, acquired from Philadelphia in the July trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the 76ers, torched Detroit for 38 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 7-of-12 from three, with five rebounds, three assists and five steals.

The 38 points set a Celtics record for a franchise debut, surpassing Kristaps Porzingis's 30 in 2023. George also became the first player since steals became an official stat in 1973-74 to record at least 35 points and five steals in a debut with a new team, and he moved past Kyle Korver (2,450) for eighth on the NBA's all-time three-pointers list.

But George found almost no help when it mattered. Boston led for 59 percent of the game, yet its offense vanished in the fourth.

## Tatum's nightmare second half

The biggest culprit was Jayson Tatum. The Celtics star finished with 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting, going 0-of-7 from three, and was 1-of-9 from the floor after halftime. His lone second-half field goal came with less than three minutes remaining and the Pistons' lead already in double digits. Tatum did dish 11 assists, but Boston needs him to be its primary scorer in the post-Brown era — and he wasn't.

Derrick White added 17 points and eight assists in the loss. Boston shot better from three than Detroit (40 percent to 38) and committed just 12 turnovers through three quarters, but was outscored 44-34 in the paint and lost the rebounding battle 49-39.

There was also an injury scare for the Celtics: center Mitchell Robinson, signed from the Knicks this offseason, appeared to roll his ankle early in the second quarter shortly after his first Boston basket, an alley-oop slam from White. He came up limping but stayed in the game.

## A new opening-day tradition

The game tipped at 3 p.m. ET as part of the NBA and NBC's experiment to turn opening day into an all-day event — complete with a blue-carpet experience and a marching band playing "Roundball Rock" outside the arena. The afternoon slot, in year two of the league's 11-year, $27-billion media-rights partnership with NBC, is something the network hopes becomes an annual tradition.

## What's next

The Pistons (1-0), last season's surprise No. 1 seed in the East, head to Miami to face the Heat on Friday night. For Boston (0-1), the home opener comes Friday against the reigning champion New York Knicks on Amazon Prime, with George's momentum and Tatum's shooting both under the microscope.

Mentions: Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Javonte Green, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Mitchell Robinson, J. B. Bickerstaff, New York Knicks, Miami Heat

## Sources
- [usatoday.com](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2026/10/20/celtics-pistons-live-score-updates-nba-opening-day--live/92347330007/)
- [freep.com](https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2026/10/20/detroit-pistons-score-today-boston-celtics-first-game/92351817007/)
- [celticswire.usatoday.com](https://celticswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/celtics/2026/10/20/celtics-collapse-in-fourth-quarter-to-spoil-paul-georges-debut/92352331007/)
- [fillingthelane.com](https://www.fillingthelane.com/nba/celtics-at-pistons-full-game-highlights-october-20-2026/)