NBA / CELTICS–PISTONS / GAME RECAP
Paul George Delivered. Boston Still Blew a 22-Point Lead.
Detroit beat Boston 121–113 in the season opener, turning a 22-point deficit into a win. The Celtics led 58–45 at halftime, but the Pistons took over after the break: Detroit outscored Boston 37–30 in the third and 39–25 in the fourth, including a decisive 23–0 run in the final quarter.
Paul George was terrific in his Celtics debut: 38 points on 12-for-21 shooting, 7-for-12 from three, plus five rebounds and three assists. That performance deserved a win. Jayson Tatum, though, had a night he will need to put behind him: 13 points on 6-for-23 shooting, 0-for-7 from three, with 11 assists and four rebounds. Derrick White added 17 points and eight assists.
Detroit had four players reach at least 19 points. Jalen Duren and Cade Cunningham each scored 22; Duren added nine rebounds, while Cunningham had eight assists. Duncan Robinson scored 21, and Javonte Green supplied 19 off the bench. Ausar Thompson finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
The team numbers show where Detroit had an edge: the Pistons finished with 59 rebounds to Boston’s 45, and made 28 of 32 free throws compared with 16 of 21 for the Celtics. Boston actually made more threes (17-for-42 to Detroit’s 15-for-40), and the offensive-rebound margin was close—14 for Detroit, 12 for Boston. So the bigger story was Detroit’s overall work on the glass and the way its defense made Boston’s offense disappear during the fourth-quarter run.
My read is that this should not be turned into a verdict that the Celtics are doomed. Paul George showed what the offense can look like, and Tatum’s shot-making plus the frontcourt’s impact on the glass are problems Boston can address. But the Celtics let a huge lead vanish, and Tatum has to get right. Detroit deserves credit for a hell of a comeback; this also fits my expectation that the Pistons can be a really good defensive team. Their offense still has questions, and one comeback fueled by a remarkable fourth quarter does not mean those questions are solved.
Final score: Detroit Pistons 121, Boston Celtics 113. Scoring by quarter: Boston 28–30–30–25; Detroit 27–18–37–39.