DETROIT, United States, October 20, 2026: Javonte Green did not play a minute of the first half. By the final buzzer at Little Caesars Arena, he and Duncan Robinson had combined for 40 points and 10 three-pointers, and the Detroit Pistons had turned a 22-point deficit into a 121-113 win over the Boston Celtics in the opening game of the 2026-27 NBA season. Paul George’s 38 points, a Celtics record for a debut, ended up as the most spectacular losing effort of opening day.
The game swung in the fourth quarter. Boston led 99-89 before Detroit scored 23 consecutive points to go up 112-99, with Robinson scoring 15 of his 21 points in the period and Green, per the NBA’s official account, capping the run. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren scored 22 points apiece, but the Pistons’ 39-25 fourth quarter was built by the shooters around them, while Jayson Tatum went 6-for-23 with no made threes. For a Detroit team that won an Eastern Conference-best 60 games last season, the result raised an intriguing question: is the depth around Cunningham now the thing that makes the Pistons dangerous?
Pistons vs. Celtics at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Final score | Detroit Pistons 121, Boston Celtics 113 |
| Date and venue | Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit (3 p.m. ET tip-off) |
| Occasion | First game of the 2026-27 NBA regular season |
| Largest deficit | 22 points (Boston led 72-50 in the third quarter) |
| Decisive run | Detroit 23-0 in the fourth quarter, 89-99 to 112-99 |
| Top scorer | Paul George, Boston, 38 points |
| Detroit leaders | Cunningham 22 pts, 8 ast; Duren 22 pts, 9 reb; Robinson 21 pts; Green 19 pts |
How Did the Pistons Erase a 22-Point Deficit Against the Celtics?
Boston controlled the first half with patience and shot-making. The Celtics took a 58-45 lead into halftime and stretched it to 72-50 in the third quarter, when Detroit’s offense looked stuck. The Pistons chipped back with a 37-30 third quarter, which left them trailing 88-82 entering the fourth, and Boston pushed the margin to 10 again at 99-89.
Then the floor tilted. Robinson hit consecutive three-pointers to cut the lead to four, and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla called timeout with 7:34 remaining. The timeout did not slow anything. Green’s three-pointer, set up by Robinson, put Detroit ahead at 101-99. Duren converted a three-point play, and Robinson’s next three with just over five minutes left made it 107-99. Detroit kept going to 112-99 before a Derrick White layup finally ended Boston’s scoring drought.
| Score (DET-BOS) | What happened |
|---|---|
| 89-99 | Boston leads by 10; the run begins |
| 95-99 | Robinson’s back-to-back threes force a Celtics timeout at 7:34 |
| 101-99 | Green’s three, assisted by Robinson, puts Detroit ahead |
| 104-99 | Duren completes a three-point play |
| 107-99 | Robinson three-pointer with just over five minutes left |
| 112-99 | Green caps the 23-0 run before White’s layup stops it |
After the game, Mazzulla tied the collapse to Boston’s own offense, saying some of the Celtics’ empty possessions fed Detroit’s transition game, according to The Athletic. The box score supports the broad outline: Boston scored only 25 points in the fourth quarter after averaging 29.3 across the first three.
Why Did Detroit’s Three-Point Shooting Change After Halftime?
The cleanest explanation for the comeback sits in the shooting splits. Detroit made 4 of 18 three-point attempts in the first half and finished the game 15-for-40, which means the Pistons went 11-for-22 after halftime. That swing, from 22 percent to 50 percent, is worth about 18 extra points on 22 attempts, most of the 22-point deficit Detroit erased.
Almost all of that improvement came from two players. Robinson went 5-for-9 from deep and Green went 5-for-8, so the pair made 10 of 17. The rest of the Pistons shot 5-for-23 from three. Detroit’s comeback was therefore less a team-wide hot streak than a concentrated burst from the two men coach J.B. Bickerstaff trusted with the floor in the second half.
What Did Javonte Green and Duncan Robinson Give Detroit?
Green’s line is the most striking in the box score. He played 18 minutes, all after halftime, and produced 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting with a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Detroit outscored Boston by 21 points while he was on the floor, the best mark on his team, in a game the Pistons won by eight.
Robinson, a starter, did his damage in a tighter window. His 15 fourth-quarter points came almost entirely from the perimeter, and the attention he drew on the perimeter plausibly helped create the space Duren used for his late three-point play. Duren finished 8-for-13 from the field and 6-for-7 at the line, while Ausar Thompson posted 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes, a workload that fits Bickerstaff’s preseason plan to expand Thompson’s role.
Cunningham’s night was steadier than spectacular. He scored 22 points with eight assists and went 5-for-5 at the line, but he also committed five turnovers and made just 1 of 6 threes. That the Pistons won on a night their All-Star guard was ordinary is the most encouraging signal of the afternoon for Detroit.
How Good Was Paul George’s Celtics Debut, and Why Wasn’t It Enough?
George, 36 and in his 17th NBA season, gave Boston everything it could have hoped for from the player acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason trade that sent Jaylen Brown the other way. His 38 points and five rebounds set a Celtics record for points in a debut, and he had already passed 30 by the middle of the third quarter.
The problem was the support. Tatum, the player George called Boston’s superstar when he arrived, finished with 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting, missed all seven of his three-point attempts and was held scoreless in the third quarter. His 11 assists show he kept creating, yet Boston needed his scoring when Detroit’s run began. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White added 17 points each, with White handing out eight assists.
Where Else Did the Pistons Win the Game?
The run will dominate the highlights, but Detroit also won the less glamorous categories that kept it within reach before the shooting arrived.
| Category | Pistons | Celtics |
|---|---|---|
| Free throws | 28-32 (87.5%) | 16-21 (76.2%) |
| Total rebounds | 59 | 45 |
| Second-chance points | 24 | 16 |
| Points in the paint | 44 | 34 |
| Three-pointers | 15-40 (37.5%) | 17-42 (40.5%) |
| Turnovers | 17 | 14 |
Boston actually made two more three-pointers and committed three fewer turnovers. Detroit’s 12-point edge at the free-throw line, a 14-rebound advantage and an eight-point lead in second-chance scoring meant the Pistons only needed the shooting to arrive once. When it did, the game ended quickly.
What Does the Result Mean for Detroit and Boston?
For Detroit, the win continues a run of success against Boston. The Pistons won three of four regular-season meetings last season, when they finished 60-22 and first in the East before losing Game 7 of the conference semifinals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Starting this season by beating the Celtics without a vintage Cunningham performance suggests the roster built around him has more answers than a year ago.
For Boston, the defeat carries an uncomfortable echo. The Celtics went 56-26 last season and then lost their first-round series to Philadelphia in seven games after leading 3-1. Losing a 22-point lead on opening day is one game in an 82-game season, but it puts Tatum’s shooting and Boston’s late-game offense under immediate scrutiny, especially after a preseason in which Boston’s bench drew the headlines.
When Do the Pistons and Celtics Play Next?
Boston opens its home schedule on Friday, October 23, against the defending champion New York Knicks at TD Garden at 7 p.m. ET, which will also be Mitchell Robinson’s first game against his former team. Detroit visits the Miami Heat the same night before a Sunday, October 25 trip to Philadelphia. The Pistons and Celtics are next scheduled to meet on December 20 in Boston.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score of the Pistons vs. Celtics season opener?
The Detroit Pistons beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 on October 20, 2026, at Little Caesars Arena in the first game of the 2026-27 NBA season.
How big was the Pistons’ comeback against the Celtics?
Detroit trailed by as many as 22 points, at 72-50 in the third quarter. NBA Communications described it as the largest comeback on an NBA opening day in the play-by-play era, according to published reports.
How did the 23-0 run happen?
Trailing 99-89 in the fourth quarter, Detroit scored 23 straight points behind Duncan Robinson’s three-pointers, a go-ahead three from Javonte Green and a three-point play by Jalen Duren, before Derrick White’s layup ended the run at 112-101.
Did Paul George set a record in his Celtics debut?
Yes. George’s 38 points were the most by a Celtics player in his first game with the franchise.
How did Jayson Tatum play against the Pistons?
Tatum scored 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting, went 0-for-7 from three-point range and added 11 assists and four rebounds in 37 minutes.
Who led the Pistons in scoring?
Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren scored 22 points each. Duncan Robinson added 21, and Javonte Green scored 19 off the bench without playing in the first half.
When do the Pistons and Celtics play each other again?
The teams are next scheduled to meet on December 20, 2026, at TD Garden in Boston. Check the official Celtics schedule and Pistons schedule for confirmed times.
More NBA Coverage From The Sports Encounter
Opening day’s other headline act came at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks raised their championship banner as LeBron James and Jaylen Brown debuted for Philadelphia. Brown’s move to the 76ers is the other half of the George trade, and his first steps there were already visible when LeBron made his Sixers preseason debut against Brooklyn.
Boston’s depth was the preseason story, culminating in a 77-point bench performance against Philadelphia, and Pritchard’s role was underlined when the Celtics handed him a $44.2 million extension. Detroit fans saw Duren’s form coming in his 15-minute preseason eruption, a night that also featured Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose Miami Heat host the Pistons next.
Boston’s home opener brings the champions to town, so read our look at what the Knicks face in chasing a repeat, and follow every game report, injury update and title-race analysis on our NBA coverage hub. League-wide positions are available on the official NBA standings.