Paul George Sets Celtics Record in Debut vs. Pistons, Box Score Stats, Highlights for Tatum, Cade

A historic Boston Celtics debut from Paul George wasn't enough to stop the Detroit Pistons from opening the season with a comeback victory.

George set a franchise record for points in his Celtics debut before Javonte Green and the Pistons recovered from an early deficit to open the 2026-27 NBA season with a 121-113 home win.

Here's a look at some of the top performers and highlights from the first game of the 2026-27 NBA season.

George's first points as a Celtic came from behind the arc. That shot tied him for the eighth-most three pointers in NBA history, per NBA.com's Taylor Snow .

Mitchell Robinson, who had an injury scare after seemingly rolling his ankle early in the game, also recorded the first points of his Celtics career in the second quarter.

Ausar Thompson impressed on defense for the Pistons, while Cade Cunningham got off to a hot scoring start to keep the home team even with the Celtics until midway through the second quarter.

George and Tatum helped lead the Celtics on a 19-4 run in the second quarter that allowed the visitors to pull out to a 13-point lead by halftime.

He and Tatum combined for 28 points on 10-for-22 shooting through two quarters.

George passed the single-game debut points record in the third to help the Celtics stretch their lead to as many as 22 points.

The Celtics were unable to keep up that momentum after George's production slowed at the midway point of the third.

The Pistons chipped away at the deficit before going on a 23-0 run in the fourth to grab a late double-digit advantage over the visitors.

George and Derrick White took the Celtics on a seven-point run to get the visitors within four points in the final minute of regulation before the Pistons closed out the win.

The Celtics will get another chance to earn their first victory of the season as George makes his home debut against the defending champion New York Knicks. The Pistons will look to get off to a stronger start the same day at the Miami Heat.