The Detroit Pistons wasted no time making a statement to open the 2026-27 NBA season.
Down by as many as 22 in the second half, Detroit flipped Tuesday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena with a blistering fourth quarter, ripping off a 23-0 run and knocking off the Boston Celtics 121-113. It was the largest comeback on the first day of an NBA season in the play-by-play era, and it turned a rough-looking opener into a showcase of who delivered when the game tightened up.
Javonte Green and Duncan Robinson were at the heart of that surge. Robinson kept burying big shots from deep and finished with 21 points, 15 of them coming in the fourth quarter. Green, the oldest player on the Pistons roster, added the kind of steady veteran presence teams need in moments like that, scoring in double figures in the second half and ending the night with 19 points and four rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting.
Detroit also got the duo it has been waiting to see click on the same night. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren each put up 22 points, giving the Pistons the kind of inside-out production they’ll want all season long. Duren, coming off his five-year, $200 million extension, went 8-of-13 from the field and looked sharp in the win.
With bigger ambitions in a loaded Eastern Conference, including their first NBA championship since 2004, the Pistons can point to this game as an early sign that Cunningham and Duren can carry the load together in both the regular season and the postseason.
Boston still had its own bright spot in the loss. Paul George was excellent in his Celtics debut, going for 38 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 12-of-21 shooting. His 38 points were the most ever by a player making his Celtics debut, a strong first impression for the nine-time All-Star the Celtics brought in during the offseason blockbuster that sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jayson Tatum, though, never found his rhythm from the field. He handed out 11 assists, but his shooting was a major problem in the Celtics’ opener, as he finished with 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting and missed all seven of his three-point attempts. For a team that needed more from its leader, especially with Tatum entering the season fully healthy, that was a tough way to start.
In Other News...
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 🡒]