Boston Celtics forward Paul George (13) is fouled by Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (9) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Detroit, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Boston Celtics forward Paul George (13) is fouled by Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson (9) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Detroit, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
DETROIT — In his introductory news conference last month, Paul George said he didn’t blame any fan who hated the trade that brought him to Boston.
Given how popular Jaylen Brown was during his decade with the franchise, and how unpopular the decision to deal him to Philadelphia for George and four future draft picks was, the incoming Celtics wing knew he’d need to win over a large portion of the fanbase.
He got off to an ideal start Tuesday afternoon. His new team did not.
George poured in 38 points in the highest-scoring team debut in Celtics history, but Boston squandered the 36-year-old’s impressive introduction, blowing a 22-point second-half lead in a 121-113 loss to the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
Detroit cut Boston’s cushion to three points by the end of the third quarter, then raced away during a 23-0 run in the fourth. Four Pistons players scored at least 19 points, with Duncan Robinson and former Celtic Javonte Green each hitting five 3-pointers. All-NBA Pistons guard Cade Cunningham missed five of his six threes and had five turnovers, but he went 7-for-12 on twos and finished with 22 points.
George went 12-for-21 from the field, 7-for-12 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the foul line in the season opener, adding five rebounds, three assists and five steals in 31 minutes. Jayson Tatum struggled to find his shot in his game-high 38 minutes, going 6-for-23 overall and 0-for-7 from deep, though he did add 11 assists.
The Celtics will host the defending NBA champion New York Knicks on Friday in their home opener (7 p.m.).
Boston opened with the same starting lineup it showed in the preseason: Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, George, Tatum and Mitchell Robinson.
That group had some encouraging early moments — like the two Walsh offensive rebounds that led to second-chance baskets by George and White — but also a fair bit of choppiness. The Celtics turned the ball over on each of their first three possessions — two by Robinson and another by White as he tried to feed a pass to Boston’s new primary big man.
Robinson played less than four minutes before Mazzulla called for his first sub, replacing the 7-footer with Neemias Queta. Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez rounded out the Celtics’ rotation, all seeing minutes during the first quarter or early in the second.
Despite their early rash of giveaways — six total in the opening nine minutes — Boston held a one-point lead after one quarter, 28-27. Tatum played the entire quarter, as he did in each of his two preseason appearances.
The Celtics’ frontcourt depth, which the team touted throughout training camp, was tested three minutes into the second quarter.
Robinson rolled his left ankle while going for a defensive rebound and hobbled off the floor. He initially remained in the game — and blocked a shot on the ensuing Pistons possession — but checked out shortly thereafter. Third-string center Luka Garza subbed in, becoming the 11th Celtics player to see action in the first half.
Garza’s brief shift was a continuation of his 2025-26 season. Always a stronger offensive player than defender, he picked up two quick fouls but followed them up with consecutive offensive rebounds, both of which led to Celtics points.
The second set up a midrange jumper by George, who proceeded to turn back the clock in the final seven minutes before halftime. The veteran wing drew a shooting foul on Ausar Thompson after a Tatum steal and another on Duncan Robinson after a Queta block. He buried his second 3-pointer of the game, then his third 22 seconds later.
George’s scoring binge helped fuel a 15-0 Celtics run that consumed much of the second quarter. Detroit caught the turnover bug during that stretch, coughing it up five times in a seven-possession span. One of those came on an illegal screen drawn by Hauser — one of three Celtics players to induce that type of turnover during the first half.
At halftime, George had 17 points, and Boston led 58-45. He caught fire again early in the third quarter, drilling 3-pointers on three straight Celtics possessions. The third — a catch-and-shoot heat check with 18 seconds on the shot clock — made it 72-50. George later finished a tough and-one layup over center Jalen Duren.
But midway through the third quarter, Boston’s momentum stalled. Detroit rallied, cutting their 22-point deficit to three.
Nearly all of the Pistons’ scoring during that run came from bench players, including 11 straight points from Green, who was a plus-19 in his 18 minutes. The Celtics spent much of it with Garza as their center after Queta was called for his fourth foul with 5:09 to play in the third. Mitchell Robinson played the first four minutes of the half, then sat until the fourth quarter.
A Scheierman three in the closing seconds of the third, followed by another George and-one and a White-to-Robinson lob dunk, gave the Celtics some breathing room. But Robinson missed a pair of free throws that would have pushed the lead back to double digits, and Duncan Robinson powered another Pistons rally. After he hit two 3-pointers and drew three-shot fouls against Pritchard and White, the lead was down to one.
Another triple from Green put Detroit in front, 101-99, with 6:41 remaining, and the Pistons kept pushing. They scored 23 consecutive points to put the game out of reach.
Threes by White (17 points, eight assists) bookended a drought of nine straight missed field goals by the Celtics, who went scoreless for more than five minutes. Late makes from George and Pritchard (17 points) couldn’t close the gap.