Pistons Erase a 22-Point Deficit to Beat Celtics 121-113 in Season Opener
A 23-0 fourth-quarter run flipped the game in Detroit, spoiling Paul George's 38-point Celtics debut.
The Detroit Pistons opened their season by erasing a 22-point deficit and beating the Boston Celtics 121-113 at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night, a comeback the NBA says is the largest on an opening day since 1997-98.
A Boston lead that looked safe
The Celtics led 28-27 after one quarter and then outscored Detroit 30-18 in the second to take a 58-45 halftime lead, according to the Sports Illustrated box score. Detroit cut it to 88-82 by the end of the third, but Boston still led 99-89 in the fourth.
Then the game turned. Detroit went on a 23-0 run that flipped a ten-point deficit into a 112-99 Pistons lead with 3:33 left, per NBA.com. Boston scored just 25 points in the fourth quarter to Detroit's 39. The game featured 16 lead changes, SI reports.
Who powered the rally
NBA.com credits the bench shooting for starting the comeback. Javonte Green, who did not play in the first half, entered with 7:26 left in the third with Detroit down 74-53 and scored 11 points in a two-minute stretch on three three-pointers and two free throws. He finished with 19 points. Duncan Robinson hit five threes on the way to 21 points, 15 of them in the fourth quarter.
Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points and eight assists, including 14 points in the second half and eight in the fourth. Jalen Duren added 22 points and nine rebounds; NBA.com notes he missed the first week of training camp while negotiating a new contract. Ausar Thompson had 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and NBA.com says Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff credited his defense on Jayson Tatum.
George's debut, Tatum's night
Paul George led all scorers with 38 points in his first game for Boston, shooting 12-for-21 overall and 7-for-12 from three. NBA.com reports it is the most points ever scored in a Celtics debut, passing the 30 Kristaps Porzingis scored in 2023. NBA.com notes it was George's first game for Boston after the team traded Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia.
Tatum had 13 points and a game-high 11 assists, but he shot 6-for-23 from the field and 0-for-7 from three. He was 1-for-10 after halftime and scored two second-half points, per NBA.com. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard each scored 17 for Boston.
What it means
One game says little about a season, and both teams are expected to contend in the East, as NBA.com frames it. What it does show is how quickly a big lead can disappear: Boston led by ten in the fourth quarter and left with a loss. For Detroit, the win came from its bench shooters and its two young core players closing the game together. Boston, meanwhile, will want answers on how a 22-point cushion evaporated in one quarter and change.