Detroit rallies to beat Boston 121–113; 76ers win 106–100 at Knicks
Detroit mounted a huge fourth-quarter comeback to down Boston 121–113; Philadelphia won 106–100 in New York with LeBron and Jaylen Brown on debut.
On October 21, 2026, the Detroit Pistons overturned a big deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 121–113 in the NBA season opener, while the Philadelphia 76ers opened their campaign with a 106–100 win over the reigning champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Detroit erases large halftime gap, rallies in fourth
Boston controlled the first half in Detroit and led 58–45 at intermission. Early in the third quarter the Celtics stretched the advantage to 72–50 after Paul George buried three three-pointers in under a minute, but the Pistons slowly chipped away and entered the fourth only six points behind.
Detroit dominated the final period, outscoring Boston 39–25 and turning the game with a stunning 23–0 run to open the last quarter. Key moments in the comeback included a go-ahead three from Javonte Green, an and-one by Jalen Duren and a third three from Duncan Robinson that put Detroit up 107–99 with 5:10 remaining. Green later knocked down his fifth triple to stretch the lead to 13 with 3:33 to play.
Javonte Green finished as Detroit’s top scorer with 19 points, shooting five of eight from long range. Jalen Duren added 22 points and nine rebounds, Duncan Robinson scored 21 and Cade Cunningham produced 20 points and eight assists.
For Boston, Paul George led the way with 38 points, hitting seven of his 12 three-point attempts and recording five steals. Derrick White contributed 17 points and eight assists, while Jayson Tatum had an off shooting night and posted 13 points and 11 assists.
In New York, LeBron James made his debut for the 76ers alongside Jaylen Brown as Philadelphia claimed a road victory over the Knicks. Tyrese Maxey paced the 76ers with 28 points; Brown scored 19 with eight rebounds and six assists in his debut for the club, and LeBron James opened his record 24th NBA season with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Contributions from role players helped seal the win in Madison Square Garden: Anfernee Simons hit three triples and new arrival Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made two, taking advantage of New York’s defensive focus on the 76ers’ stars.
Photo: press material from the event
