The 2026-27 NBA season is officially underway with an unprecedented opening-day tripleheader that began with a rare weekday matinee game between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons rallied from a 22-point deficit to stun Boston
in the league's first game of the season, setting the stage for the New York Knicks' ring ceremony and championship banner-raising before they face LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers. A Western Conference finals rematch between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder wraps up the NBA opening-day slate on Tuesday, Oct. 20.Here's a live breakdown of the players, moments and storylines that emerged as winners and losers from the NBA's opening day.
Sixers among biggest surprises
NBA opening day winners
Javonte Green
Much of the offseason discussion in Detroit centered on whether the Pistons had added enough shooting around Cade Cunningham. But Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff turned to a lesser-known returning player on Tuesday to provide an unlikely spark that kick-started Detroit after beginning its season opener 4 of 22 from beyond the arc.
Green had 19 points and played nearly 18 minutes in the second half after not playing during the first two quarters of the game. A veteran in his second season with the Pistons, Green drilled three consecutive 3-pointers shortly after entering in the third quarter before adding two more in the fourth, including the go-ahead basket.
Paul George
George set a new Celtics record by scoring 38 points in his Boston debut and was especially good as the Celtics built a 22-point lead that the Pistons eventually erased. The 36-year-old George, who came to Boston in the Jaylen Brown trade this offseason, made 10 of his first 14 shots from the field including six 3-pointers. He seemed to work well with Jayson Tatum and took on the defensive assignment of guarding Cade Cunningham at times. Though George missed a couple 3-pointers late as the Celtics tried to reverse the momentum, this performance was a good sign that he can form an elite combination with Tatum if he can stay healthy.
NBA opening day losers
Jayson Tatum
Tatum's evolution as a playmaker was evident Tuesday, as he finished with 11 assists. But Boston also needs him to be its primary scorer, particularly after trading Jaylen Brown, and he couldn't fill that role in the second half. His poor shooting performance contributed to the team's collapse. He was 1 for 9 from the floor after halftime and his lone field goal came with less than three minutes left and the Pistons' lead in double digits. Tatum was just 6 of 23 from the floor and 0 for 7 from 3-point range overall on Tuesday.
NBA on NBC's matinee rollout
The NBA is closely watching the audience response to its opening-day matinee experiment, but some fans encountered issues as Tuesday's opening game unfolded. Social media was filled with complaints from viewers who said Celtics-Pistons was unavailable in their market, with YouTube TV subscribers appearing particularly affected. The company wrote on its X account that "the availability of games/programs on YouTube TV depends on our network partners."
It will be interesting to see what the ratings turn out to be considering the NBA is evaluating this initial game to determine whether to continue having daytime openers in the future.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA winners and losers: Pistons rally past Celtics, Tatum struggles
