Boston Celtics (0-0) at Detroit Pistons (0-0)
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
3:00 PM ET
Regular season Game #1 Road Game #1
TV: NBC, Peacock
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub, Sirius XM
Little Caesars Arena
After an undefeated preseason campaign, the vibes around the Boston Celtics couldn’t be higher. Hugo Gonzalez appears to have taken a leap; Jayson Tatum looks like First-Team All-NBA Tatum; even 40th overall pick Dillon Mitchell has been stuffing the box score and impacting winning. As fun as preseason has been,
it’s time for the games to matter.
The NBA seems to think that the 2026-2027 Celtics have something to show the basketball world, as they are spotlighted in the season’s opening game against the Detroit Pistons. To the chagrin of Knicks fans, the Celtics will welcome in the new basketball year.
The Celtics haven’t been served a cupcake for this showcase game. The Detroit Pistons are the reigning Eastern Conference No. 1 seed, a season in which they won 60 games, ranked 2nd in defense and 10th in offense. Then, the Pistons also had their own drama this past offseason. Taking the contract negotiations with their star big man, Jalen Duren, into training camp. Cooler heads seem to have prevailed, with Duren signing a five-year, $200 million contract extension. The Pistons also said goodbye to veteran leader Tobias Harris and replaced him with John Collins. For a team already short on shot creation, losing Harris could compound that weakness.
The Celtics and Pistons met four times last season. The Pistons took the season series 3-1. However, each game was a war, with all four matchups being decided by single digits. This season, the Celtics are better equipped to handle the Pistons’ physicality. The addition of Mitchell Robinson, a fully healthy Jayson Tatum, and maturity from the plethora of young wing talent should have the Celtics prepared to win the rebounding battle and take care of the ball, something they struggled with against the Pistons last season. While many are focusing on the offense, I think defense could be the 2026-2027 Boston Celtics’ calling card, challenging for the best defense in the league. They will have a chance to showcase this defensive ceiling against a team that routinely struggled against the league’s top defenses last season. Detroit will start two non-shooters, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren, Tuesday night. The Celtics should be able to pack the paint and make life difficult for the Pistons’ offensive engine, Cade Cunningham.
Boston Celtics Roster
- Jayson Tatum
- Derrick White
- Paul George
- Payton Pritchard
- Mitchell Robinson
- Neemias Queta
- Jordan Walsh
- Baylor Scheierman
- Hugo Gonzalez
- Sam Hauser
- Luka Garza
- Ron Harper Jr.
- Mike Conley
- Chris Cenac
2-way players
- Amari Williams
- Devin Carter
- Dillon Mitchell
Injuries
Players to watch
Paul George – is George able to replicate his play from the back half of the 2025-2026 season? The veteran’s ability to guard and knock down shots at an elite level is critical to this Celtics team’s ceiling.
Head coach
Joe Mazzulla
Detroit Pistons Roster
- Cade Cunningham
- Ausar Thompson
- Jalen Duren
- John Collins
- Paul Reed
- Duncan Robinson
- Ron Holland II
- Isaiah Joe
- Kevin Huerter
- Daniss Jenkins
- Ebuka Okorie
- Javonte Green
- Taurean Prince
- Tolu Smith III
- Chaz Lanier
2-way players
- Ugonna Onyenso
- Isaac Jones
- Elijah Harkless
Injuries
Players to watch
Ausar Thompson – reports are that Thompson will be trusted with more ball-handling and shot creation responsibility. The Pistons need him to handle this responsibility to reach their goals as a true championship contender.
Paul Reed – the Pistons are trusting Reed with backup centre duties. He was Detroit’s best big man in the playoffs, it will be interesting to see if he sustain that impact over a full game and season.
Head coach
J.B Bickerstaff
What to watch
Minutes distribution – After preseason, we have an inkling that the starting lineup will be Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Derrick White, Mitchell Robinson, and Jordan Walsh. While you can make a case for Queta to start, Robinson makes sense as well. The preseason surprise has been Jordan Walsh’s seeming stranglehold on a starting spot. In theory I get it, Walsh is the best point-of-attack defender on the team; you unleash Walsh on the opposing team’s lead ball handler, and allow Tatum, George, and Derrick White to lurk in passing lanes, while Robinson protects the rim. On the other hand, I think that Payton Pritchard, Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman are all better players than Walsh in a vacuum. Making the Walsh starting decision a slight head scratcher. That said, it’s less about who starts and more about who finishes and racks up the most minutes. On a team that truly goes 14 players deep, it’s a mystery which players will crack the rotation, and that will get somewhat solved on opening night.
Jayson Tatum’s Free Throw Rate – Jayson Tatum appeared to be 100% back physically in the preseason. The difference in burst between the end of last season and the preseason was noticeable. Tatum’s game was dialed in during the preseason. The last piece of the puzzle for him to return to MVP-caliber form is his free-throw rate. When Tatum returned last season, he had his lowest free-throw rate since 2021 and took only one free throw in the preseason, a technical free throw. While I can appreciate Tatum’s ethical approach to the game of basketball, which doesn’t feature any flopping, the lack of free-throw attempts may suggest a slight lack of trust in his body. This is something to monitor as we start the season.
X-Factors
Turnovers – Turnovers will be at the centre of the NBA conversation this season. This is partly due to Joe Mazzulla’s obsession with the possession game and the success it has brought. Every night, the goal is clear: take more shots than your opponent. The Pistons led the NBA in forcing turnovers last season. Ausar Thompson spearheaded this effort, an apex predator hunting ball handlers. Jayson Tatum needs to prioritise protecting the ball.
Pistons Playoff PTSD
While Jalen Duren received a lucrative $200 million extension, that doesn’t change the fact that he turned into a pumpkin in the playoffs. Duren went from a deserving All-NBA selection to a target of harsh criticism for his playoff performance. Can the Celtics coax those playoff demons out of Duren? The Celtics have the personnel to switch some of those Cunningham/Duren pick-and-rolls, forcing Duren to create in isolation. If the Celtics can turn Duren into a playmaker instead of a play-finisher, they’ll have a good chance to win on opening night.
