NBA season tips off as Detroit stage epic 22-point comeback to defeat Celtics — SkimNews
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- Detroit Pistons overcame a 22-point deficit to defeat the Boston Celtics 121-113 on opening night of the 2026-27 NBA season, the largest comeback against Boston in the last 30 seasons.
- The Pistons ran off a 23-0 fourth-quarter streak to flip a tie game into a 13-point lead; Javonte Green scored 19 points despite not playing the first half and hit a go-ahead three off Jayson Tatum's lack of defensive hustle.
- Cade Cunningham orchestrated Detroit's win with 22 points and 8 assists, supported by Jalen Duren's 22 points and 9 rebounds and Duncan Robinson's 5-of-9 shooting from three for 21 points.
- Paul George debuted for Boston with 38 points — the most by a Celtic in a debut — after arriving from Philadelphia in the Jaylen Brown trade, but the Celtics still fell to 0-1.
- Jayson Tatum had an off night, missing 17 of 23 shots for 13 points while adding 11 assists; Boston had built a 72-50 lead early in the third before George buried three 3-pointers in under a minute.
Why it matters: Boston's blockbuster Jaylen Brown–for–Paul George swap was designed to keep the Celtics in title contention, yet their new star duo managed just one win — in this case, zero — with Tatum missing 17 of 23 shots alongside George's 38-point debut. A Pistons team long seen as in rebuild mode just authored the largest Celtics-blown-lead comeback in three decades, signaling Detroit may be ahead of schedule.
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