Paul George Fined by NBA for Flopping After Celtics' Loss vs. Pistons, 1st of 2026-27 Season

Paul George had an excellent Boston Celtics debut, but it was also a costly one.

The NBA announced Wednesday he was given a $2,000 fine for flopping during Tuesday's 121-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The fine came following a review from the league office and is the first flopping fine assessed for the 2026-27 season.

A fine and a loss surely isn't how George wanted to start his tenure with the Celtics after he arrived this offseason via the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, he was excellent from an individual standpoint and finished with a franchise record for points in a debut with 38. He also added five steals, five rebounds and three assists while turning back the clock and playing like the peak version of himself from earlier in his career.

"Getting back into the swing of things. Playing again. I thought, really, the camp, legs were just heavy," he told reporters after the showing. "I was winded a lot of times, so it was taking away the ability to kind of do things when I just felt a little heavy and sluggish. But I'm getting my wind back. I'm getting my legs back. I feel like I'm getting my pop back, and so that was kind of the difference maker."

Yet it wasn't enough to prevent Boston from blowing a 22-point lead in large part because it allowed a 23-0 run in the fourth quarter.

Cade Cunningham spearheaded Detroit's comeback with 22 points, eight assists and four rebounds, but it was Ausar Thompson's defense on Jayson Tatum that may have made the biggest difference.

Tatum was an ugly 6-of-23 from the field and 0-of-7 from deep and was unable to match George's impact for the visitors.