In the NBA's regular-season opener, the Detroit Pistons triumphed over the visiting Boston Celtics with a final score of 121-113. Duncan Robinson played a crucial role, scoring 15 of his 21 points in the decisive fourth quarter, helping the Pistons rally with 23 unanswered points to secure the win.
Jalen Duren and Cade Cunningham each contributed 22 points for Detroit, which topped the Eastern Conference with 60 wins last season. Javonte Green, coming off the bench, provided a strong performance with 19 points in 18 minutes, while Ausar Thompson added a solid 11 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
For the Celtics, Paul George led the charge with a season-high 38 points in his debut for the team. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White each scored 17 points, but Jayson Tatum struggled, managing only 13 points on a six-for-23 shooting performance, though he did contribute with 11 assists.
Boston held a 13-point lead at halftime, thanks to a surge in the second quarter. The Celtics had a 39-35 lead early in the period before extending their advantage to 58-45 by halftime, aided by George's eight consecutive points.
George continued his impressive performance in the third quarter, hitting three three-pointers in just over 50 seconds, pushing Boston's lead to 72-50. However, Javonte Green's entry into the game provided a much-needed boost for Detroit, as he scored 11 points, including three three-pointers, helping the Pistons close the gap to three points by the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter saw George scoring a layup to extend Boston's lead to 90-82. Although the Celtics momentarily increased their lead to 12 points, Thompson sparked a comeback with a crucial three-point play. Robinson then scored 11 consecutive points, bringing the Pistons within one point at 99-98. His setup for Green's three-pointer, followed by Duren's three-point play, further fueled Detroit's comeback. Robinson's subsequent three-pointer with 5 minutes and 13 seconds left gave Detroit a 107-99 lead.
Green concluded the Pistons' 23-0 run with another three-pointer, extending the lead to 112-99 with 3 minutes and 33 seconds remaining. Despite Boston's rally to narrow the deficit to four points, Green's two free throws with 6.7 seconds left sealed the victory for Detroit on opening day.
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