New York (AFP) – Duncan Robinson scored 21 points to spark a fierce second-half fightback, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 121-113 victory over the visiting Boston Celtics on Tuesday in the opening game of the 2026-27 NBA season. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren led Detroit with 22 points each, while reserve Javonte Green added 19 points and Ausar Thompson recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Pistons trailed by as many as 22 points before seizing command with a 23-0 fourth-quarter run, with Robinson contributing 12 points during that stretch to give Detroit a 112-99 advantage. Green’s three-pointer with 6:41 remaining marked the Pistons’ first lead since early in the second quarter at 101-99, and the Celtics never regained the lead. “We just didn’t do our brand of basketball good enough in the first half and we had to turn it up,” Cunningham said. “We had a good talk at halftime and lit that fire a little bit better. We’ve just got to get our camaraderie, our synergy, a little bit better, but that will come as the season goes on.”
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Boston’s Paul George shone in his Celtics debut, scoring 38 points—the most by any player in the game. The 36-year-old American forward, a nine-time NBA All-Star acquired from Philadelphia in a July trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the 76ers, contributed five rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard each added 17 points, while Jayson Tatum recorded 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting.
George scored 12 of his 17 first-half points in the second quarter as the Celtics, aided by a 15-0 run, took a 58-45 lead at halftime. Detroit responded with a significant 27-9 run in the third quarter, pulling within 88-82 as they entered the fourth. Green shot 5-of-8 from three-point range, and Cunningham went 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, fueling Detroit’s dramatic comeback.
The Pistons, who were the Eastern Conference regular-season champions last season, faced off against runner-up Boston, setting the stage for an impressive opening night for the NBA’s 81st season. Superstar LeBron James and his new Philadelphia 76ers teammates kick off their campaign later on Tuesday in New York, where the Knicks will raise their 2026 championship banner to the rafters at Madison Square Garden. Victor Wembanyama and the NBA runner-up San Antonio Spurs are slated to launch their season with a later home game against Oklahoma City in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.
© 2024 AFP
