October 21, 2026 at 5:36 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Pistons open the season with an 8-point win over Celtics behind a deep scoring night

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Detroit beat Boston 121-113 in the opener, getting 22 each from Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren while Paul George scored 38 in a losing effort.

The 2026-27 season began in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, and the Pistons started it the way they would have drawn it up, beating the Celtics 121-113 at Little Caesars Arena. Both teams came in at 0-0 with the usual opening-day questions. Detroit had more answers, and five players scored 19 or more.

The tip was at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, an odd hour for a league opener, and there was some doubt beforehand about how full the building would be and how much noise it would make. Boston also arrived short-handed, with Devin Carter out because of illness. Detroit had a clean report. Neither fact kept Paul George from putting up 38 points in 31 minutes, but he got little scoring help from the starters around him beyond Derrick White's 17.

The backdrop was a Pistons team coming off its best season in 20 years, and a Celtics team beginning a new era without Jaylen Brown. Neither made a big move in a quiet offseason, and both still have to get through a crowded East. Viewers on NBC and Peacock saw Detroit settle that argument for one afternoon. Cade Cunningham had 22 points and 8 assists, Duncan Robinson hit for 21, and Javonte Green added 19 in just 18 minutes off the bench.

The center spot is where Detroit had its clearest edge. Jalen Duren finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds in 28 minutes, while Neemias Queta (3 points, 4 rebounds) and Mitchell Robinson (4 points, 3 rebounds) couldn't match him. Jayson Tatum played a game-high 38 minutes and had 13 points and 11 assists, a double-double that did not change the result. Ausar Thompson had one of his own for Detroit, with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

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