Chaz Lanier did not get into the Pistons’ opening-night win, as Detroit opened the 2026-27 NBA season with a 121-113 victory over Boston on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena.
The former Tennessee guard was held out by coach’s decision as the Pistons improved to 1-0 and handed the Celtics a 0-1 start. Detroit also had to erase a big early deficit, battling back after trailing by as many as 22 points in the third quarter.
Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren carried the scoring load for Detroit, with each finishing at 22 points. Cunningham added eight assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block, while Duren chipped in nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
Javonte Green supplied 19 points for the Pistons, who now turn their attention to Friday’s matchup with Miami. That game is set for 8 p.m. EDT at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Boston got a massive debut from Paul George, who led all scorers with 38 points and set a franchise scoring record for a player making his debut with the team. He shot 12 of 21 from the field, hit 7 of 12 from beyond the arc and went 7 of 8 at the line.
Jayson Tatum added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Derrick White finished with 17 points for the Celtics.
Lanier, in his rookie season in Detroit, appeared in 34 games and averaged 7.7 minutes, 2.4 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.2 steals per contest.
In Other News...
Tennessee Already Has An Early Concern Fans Did Not Want
Terrence Hill Jr. gave Tennessee an early scare in its exhibition game against Duke when the Volunteers guard went down with an apparent ankle injury and headed to the locker room. The full extent of the injury is still unknown, but the initial signs were enough to cloud what should have been a useful preseason tune-up for a team trying to settle into its rotation.
Hill is expected to be a significant part of Tennessees offense this season, which is why even a short-term absence would matter. For a roster counting on him to help generate scoring and stability on that end of the floor, the next update will carry real weight as the Volunteers get closer to the games that count. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Alabama Win Just Earned Even More SEC Respect
Tennessees win over Alabama did more than add another marquee result to the resume. It also drew league recognition for a pair of Volunteers who played key roles in the upset, with the SEC honoring Ty Weathersby and Cooper Ranvier as players of the week for their work in the rivalry game. Those kinds of weekly awards tend to follow eye-catching performances, and Tennessee got two of them after one of its biggest stage wins of the season.
Weathersby was a disruptive force up front, helping set the tone with steady pressure and backfield production. Ranvier handled the scoring load on a night when every point mattered, giving Tennessee all of its first-half offense and keeping the Volunteers in control long enough for the rest of the game to unfold. For a team coming off a signature win, the weekly recognition is another reminder that the performance resonated well beyond Knoxville. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Made Alabama's Misery Impossible To Ignore
Alabamas latest stumble in Knoxville has only deepened the unease around a program that is suddenly drawing sharp scrutiny from its own fan base. In the wake of the Crimson Tides recent losses to Tennessee, the conversation on The Paul Finebaum Show turned pointed, with callers voicing frustration over how the team has been coached and how far the program seems to have drifted from its standard.
The complaints centered on the people now carrying the weight of the turnaround, with fans questioning the direction under Kalen DeBoer and the decisions being made by Ryan Grubb and Greg Byrne. Three straight losses in Knoxville have made the mood impossible to miss, and for Alabama supporters, the issue is no longer just one bad afternoon but a broader sense that the current state of the program is hard to defend. [Read more 🡒]