The Pistons open the 2026-27 regular season Tuesday afternoon with a heavyweight matchup against the Celtics, a game that puts the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds from last year’s Eastern Conference on the floor at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET, with NBC carrying the broadcast. Fans can also stream the game on Peacock and Fubo, and WXYT-FM 97.1 will have the radio call.
Detroit comes into the opener on the back of a 60-22 season, its best mark since the 2005-06 team went 64-18. The Pistons followed that with a comeback playoff win over Orlando, rallying from down 3-1 to beat the 8-seed for the franchise’s first series victory since 2008 before falling to the Cavaliers in seven games in the second round.
Boston’s path was different but still productive. The Celtics finished 56-26 even with Jayson Tatum sidelined for most of the season, then lost to Philadelphia in seven games in the first round. Since then, they’ve made major moves, trading Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for Paul George and signing Mitchell Robinson to help the center group.
The Pistons are bringing back their core trio, with center Jalen Duren and forward Ausar Thompson both newly extended alongside star point guard Cade Cunningham. They’ve also reshaped the frontcourt. Tobias Harris, who was their second-leading scorer in the playoffs, left on a free-agent deal with the San Antonio Spurs, and John Collins comes in to fill that power forward spot.
ESPN’s BPI has Boston and Detroit projected for the fourth- and fifth-highest win totals in the league, respectively. The Pistons are forecast for 49 wins, which would be a step back from last season, though that’s expected in what shapes up as a tougher Eastern Conference.
The NBC tripleheader starts with Pistons-Celtics, followed by Knicks-76ers at 7 p.m. and Spurs-Thunder at 9:30 p.m.
Projected starting lineups: Pistons: Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, John Collins, Jalen Duren. Celtics: Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Mitchell Robinson.
Detroit’s next stretch includes a Friday, Oct. 23 game at Miami at 8 p.m. ET on TV20, then a Sunday, Oct. 25 trip to Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m.
ET on TV20. The Pistons’ schedule continues Tuesday, Oct.
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Pistons Opener Hinted At A Change Fans Have Wanted For Years
The Pistons entered the 2026 offseason determined to modernize an offense that too often settled for too few threes, and their regular-season opener against the Celtics offered the clearest sign yet that the message may have landed. Detroit launched 40 three-pointers in a 121-113 win, a sharp jump from last seasons 30.8 per game, and the shot profile alone looked different enough to catch the eye even before the comeback from a 22-point hole.
Duncan Robinson, Javonte Green, Isaiah Joe and Kevin Huerter all factored into the spread-the-floor approach, giving Detroit the kind of perimeter volume fans have wanted to see for years. One game does not make a season, of course, but after spending the offseason talking about the need to improve from deep, the Pistons at least gave themselves a template worth watching closely as the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]
John Collins Already Has The Pistons Facing A Tough Defensive Question
John Collins first night in a Pistons uniform offered an early glimpse of both the upside and the problems Detroit will have to sort through. He gave the team some useful minutes with a block and a few offensive rebounds, the kind of activity that can matter in a game where every possession counts. But the bigger takeaway came on the other end, where Collins had a rough time holding up defensively in his new setting.
Detroit tried to work around it by shifting Collins to center, hoping the matchup would settle in, but the adjustment did not really solve the issue. Paul George found room to score against him, and the problem only looked more complicated when bigger opponents came into play, including Mitchell Robinson. For a Pistons group trying to piece together lineups early, Collins fit may end up being defined less by what he can add and more by how they hide what he gives up. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Just Turned Bostons Big Debut Into A Celtics Problem
Bostons season opener quickly turned into a reminder that early NBA games can still say plenty about where a team is headed. The Celtics built a 22-point lead against Detroit, only to let it slip away in a loss that had Jayson Tatum finishing with 13 points on rough shooting while Paul George carried the offensive load with 38 points and also made his presence felt on the defensive end.
Social media did what it always does after a collapse like that, with fans split between frustration at the coaching and player execution and calls to remember how long the season is. From Detroits perspective, it was the kind of result that can travel well beyond one night, because handing Boston an opener like that immediately changes the tone around the Celtics and gives the Pistons an early jolt of attention. [Read more 🡒]