Paul George gave Boston exactly the kind of opening-night jolt the Celtics could have hoped for. Detroit made sure it did not matter.
George scored 38 points in his debut with the Celtics, the most by any player in a first game for the franchise and one more than Kristaps Porzingis’ 30-point debut in 2023. He also knocked down seven 3-pointers, finishing 12 of 21 from the field while adding five steals, five rebounds and three assists.
But the scoreboard belonged to the Pistons, who erased a 22-point second-half deficit and beat Boston 121-113. Detroit scored 76 points in the final 24 minutes, turning what had looked like a comfortable Celtics start into one of the most striking opening-night swings in recent memory.
Boston became the fifth team in 30 seasons to lose a season opener after leading by 22 points, and Detroit’s rally was the biggest comeback win in a league opener since 1997. That is the part of the night that will linger, even with George’s debut line sitting in the record book.
The contrast was sharp from the start of the game’s closing stretch. George kept producing, but the Pistons kept chipping away until the comeback became a run, then a full reversal. By the end, the Celtics had a historic individual performance and a loss that swallowed it up.
Afterward, George pointed back to the people around him rather than the numbers on his own stat line. He credited his teammates for helping him adjust and for putting him in position to have such a strong debut. He also said, “Just got to get ready for the next one.”
Joe Mazzulla’s message was less about the debut than about what Boston could not sustain. “It’s more so about being consistent for these guys,” he said.
That is the tension Boston is left with after one game: George can arrive and immediately look like a top scoring option, even in his 16th season, but one player’s production does not control a game once the other side starts winning the possession battle and the momentum swings. The Celtics got the individual statement. The Pistons got the result.
George was encouraged by his health, even if he was not interested in treating the night like a moral victory. “I’m not a moral victory guy,” he said.
For Boston, that leaves the debut as both a bright spot and a warning. George’s scoring was as immediate and as loud as advertised. Detroit’s comeback was louder.