Detroit erased a 22-point deficit and turned opening afternoon at Little Caesars Arena into a 121-113 Pistons win over the Boston Celtics, spoiling Paul George’s 38-point Boston debut. The Pistons owned the late-game energy, the rebounding margin and, most importantly, the fourth-quarter shooting to deliver the biggest Opening Day rally the league has seen since 1997.
Detroit’s fourth-quarter push flips the opener
Boston led 88-82 after three quarters, but Detroit kept digging out possessions and finally blew past the Celtics with an 18-0 run. Duncan Robinson supplied the spark, scoring 15 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, while Javonte Green poured in 19 after halftime.
“We had a good talk at halftime, and we lit that fire a little bit better,” Cade Cunningham said after finishing with 16 points.
- Detroit won the rebounding battle 59-45.
- The Pistons held a 44-34 edge for points in the paint.
- Detroit went 11-for-22 from 3-point range after halftime.
- Green’s corner three capped a 19-6 Detroit burst in the third quarter and brought the margin back to single digits.
- The Pistons made five of seven triples during one third-quarter stretch, with Green hitting two of them to pull Detroit within 81-77.
Robinson’s shooting reshaped the final period. He scored eight straight Detroit points at one stage, drilled four threes overall and drew a shooting foul from Sam Hauser on a corner attempt. After making that sequence matter, Robinson found Green for another three that gave Detroit its first lead since the score was 34-33.
Detroit eventually pushed ahead 107-99 with 5:10 remaining, its largest lead of the afternoon. Boston made one last push, pulling within 114-110 when Jayson Tatum found George for a transition wing three with 1:06 left. The Pistons closed it out from there.
“This Pistons team has a ton of fight in them,” Brian Scalabrine said on the broadcast.
George scores 38, but Boston’s offense stalls late
George gave the Celtics a high-level first look, reaching 31 points in the third quarter on an acrobatic and-one finish through Jalen Duren. That bucket set a Celtics record for most points in a player’s franchise debut, and George later finished with 38.
His early shooting also moved him past Kyle Korver into eighth place on the NBA’s all-time made 3-pointers list, reaching 2,551. George hit three consecutive threes in the third quarter and was 6-for-8 from deep when he had 28 points.
Boston’s offense had plenty of rhythm before Detroit’s surge. The Celtics led 58-45 at halftime after using their defense to create separation, with Detroit shooting 38.6% from the field and 4-for-18 from three in the first half. Boston went up by as many as 22 points in the third.
But Tatum could not find much room at the basket in the second half. He finished with 13 points on 6-for-23 shooting, though he added 11 assists. His passing helped Baylor Scheierman beat the third-quarter horn with a three that made it 88-82 entering the fourth.
- George: 38 points in his Celtics debut.
- Tatum: 13 points, 11 assists and 6-for-23 shooting.
- Sam Hauser: eight points and two first-half threes.
- Derrick White: eight points; his early third-quarter open three prompted a Detroit timeout.
- Mitchell Robinson started at center for Boston, while Neemias Queta came off the bench.
Boston’s new frontcourt approach was evident from the opening minutes. Joe Mazzulla used Robinson and Queta as short-roll decision-makers, an adjustment for a club seeking a more balanced attack without Jaylen Brown. Both big men recorded an assist early; Queta had averaged 1.7 assists last season and Robinson 0.9.
One Boston set stood out: a triple-high screen freed Mitchell Robinson for a Derrick White alley-oop. Scalabrine, a 25-year NBA veteran as a player and broadcaster, said he could not remember seeing that action before.
Pistons survive Boston’s early control
The Celtics held a 28-27 lead after one quarter, with Tatum posting seven points, four assists and three rebounds. Detroit’s ball pressure forced six Boston turnovers in the period, while the Celtics countered by making four of nine attempts from beyond the arc.
Boston assistant Sam Cassell emphasized the need to clean up the ball handling during the first-quarter action.
“We’ve got a lot of unforced turnovers,” Cassell said. “We’ve got to take care of the ball, move the ball. You don’t want to give up easy baskets. Transition leads to easy points.”
Detroit created space early through its athletes and rim runners, generating 16 paint points in the opening stretch. Cunningham and Duren led that initial work, while Ausar Thompson added an acrobatic reverse finish in traffic.
The Pistons also showed their upgraded perimeter depth. Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Joe, Kevin Huerter and Daniss Jenkins all connected from three in the first half. The intent was clear: spread the floor around Cunningham-Duren pick-and-roll actions.
Duren finished the first half with 13 points and five rebounds after signing a five-year extension in the offseason. Cunningham scored 14 by the point George reached his third-quarter scoring peak. Detroit assistant Jarrett Jack said the team’s defensive focus was to keep Boston from getting comfortable and reaching its preferred spots.
Green’s impact off the bench was central to the comeback. He checked in during the third quarter as J.B. Bickerstaff looked for athleticism and hustle on the wing, then helped turn Detroit’s pace and pressure into real momentum.
Opening-night slate continues at Madison Square Garden and San Antonio
The Celtics-Pistons game opened the NBA’s 81st season and the first leg of a three-game NBC and Peacock schedule. Detroit and Boston had renewed a close season series from the previous year, but the Pistons now own the first result of the new campaign.
- Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks, 7 p.m. ET: LeBron James begins his NBA-record 24th season in his Philadelphia debut. He enters the year 27 victories behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the league’s all-time wins record.
- Knicks championship ceremony, 6:30 p.m. ET: New York will raise its third championship banner at Madison Square Garden before facing the retooled 76ers.
- Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30 p.m. ET: The night closes with a rematch of the previous Western Conference Finals.
Before the Boston game, Reggie Miller said he expected Tatum to remain in the MVP conversation throughout the season, believing the Celtics forward was motivated to make a statement in his 10th NBA year. Tatum and Boston came out sharp enough to build a major lead. Detroit had more left when the game reached winning time.
