NBA winners and losers: Pistons meet Celtics, Tatum battles

The 2026-27 NBA season has officially begun with an unprecedented triple header, which began with a rare weekend game between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons.

Pistoris came from a 22-point deficit to stun Boston in the first game of the league season, setting the stage for the New York Knicks ring ceremony and raising the championship flag in front of LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Western Conference finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder will open the NBA schedule on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

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Here’s a live breakdown of the players, moments and stories that emerged as the winners and losers on NBA Opening Day.

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NBA opening day winners

Javonte Green

Much of the offseason debate in Detroit revolved around whether the Bakers had added enough upside around Cade Cunningham. But Detroit coach JB Bickerstaff turned to a lesser-known returning player on Tuesday to provide an unexpected spark to kickstart Detroit after going 4 of 22 beyond the arc to open the season.

Green had 19 points and played nearly 18 minutes in the second half after not playing in the first two halves of the game. A veteran in his second season with the Pistons, Green drilled three consecutive 3-pointers shortly after entering the third quarter before adding two more in the fourth, including before the basket.

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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 guard Cade Cunningham at times in a defensive assignment. Although George missed two 3-pointers recently as the Celtics tried to regain 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

Jason Tatum

The development of the player’s game was evident on Tuesday, when he finished with 11 assists. But Boston also needs him to be its leading scorer, especially after trading Jaylen Brown, and he was unable to fill that role in the second half. His poor shooting performance contributed to the downfall of the team. He was 1 for 9 from the floor after halftime and made his lone field goal with less than three minutes left to double the Bakers’ lead. Tatum was just 6 of 23 from the floor and 0 for 7 from 3-point range overall on Tuesday.

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NBA on NBC media rollout

The NBA is closely watching the audience response to the March-day opening test, but some of the questions fans encountered as they head into Tuesday’s opening game are unfolding. Social media was filled with complaints from viewers who said Celtics-Pistons was unavailable in their market, with YouTube TV subscribers appearing to be particularly affected. The company wrote in its X report that “the availability of games/programs on YouTube TV depends on our network partners.”

It will be very interesting to see what happens in the ratings as the NBA evaluates this initial game to determine whether the openers will stay in the future.

This article first appeared in USA TODAY: NBA winners and losers: Pistons meet Celtics, Tatum battles

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