Latest:
oct 21 2026The Boston Celtics went scoreless for five minutes in the fourth quarter. It was enough to lose a game they had won. The Detroit Pistons, who trailed by 22 in the third quarter, unleashed a 23-0 run and won the season opener 121-113, on an afternoon that was supposed to be Paul George's debut with the Celtics.
The shooting guard, who arrived this summer from Philadelphia in the Jaylen Brown trade, more than delivered his part. He scored 38 points, the best debut performance by a Celtics player, shooting 7 of 12 from three-point range with 5 steals. The most spectacular moment came early in the third quarter, when he hit three three-pointers in less than a minute to put Boston up 72-50. Earlier, a 15-0 run in the second quarter had already given the Celtics a 13-point halftime lead (58-45).
Green Changes the Game from the Bench
The Pistons began their comeback in the third quarter, which they won 37-30, closing it down to just six points (82-88). The comeback had an unexpected architect: Javonte Green, who hadn't played in the first half, scored 19 points on 5 of 8 from three-point range. One of his three-pointers, taking advantage of a defensive lapse by Jayson Tatum, put Detroit ahead in the fourth quarter.
Read also:
- Preview of the NBA 2026-27 opening night: three marquee matchups
- Preview of the Boston Celtics for the 2026-27 season
- Preview of the Detroit Pistons for the 2026-27 season
Five Minutes Without Scoring
The game broke apart midway through the fourth quarter. With the score at 89-99, Boston completely stalled and Detroit rattled off 23 straight points. Green, a three-point play from Jalen Duren, and a three-pointer from Duncan Robinson made it 107-99 with 5:10 remaining, and the run ended at 112-99. The Celtics went more than five minutes without scoring, and when they finally did, it was too late.
Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points and 8 assists, Duren with 22 points and 9 rebounds, and Robinson with 21. For Boston, Tatum, who is in his first full season since tearing his Achilles tendon in May 2025, had a rough shooting night: 6 of 23, missing all seven of his three-point attempts, though he dished out 11 assists. Hugo González played nearly ten minutes and finished with 3 rebounds and no points on his only shot attempt.
