The NBA season got underway on Tuesday afternoon, with the new look Boston Celtics in Detroit to take on the Pistons, last year's No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. It was the first game for Boston without Jaylen Brown, but veteran Paul George, who the team acquired in the trade with Philadelphia, had a incredibly impressive showing in his first game.
Boston looked to be in control throughout the first three quarters of the game, but a fourth quarter collapse put them in a bind that they could not recover from. Detroit used a 23-0 run in the final quarter to complete a massive comeback, and it was a disappointing ending to what looked like an incredible debut for Paul George.
Final score: Detroit Pistons 121, Boston Celtics 113
Keys to the game:
Highlight of the game: Paul George sets Celtics record for most points in franchise debut
Paul George has set the record for most points in a Celtics debut, surpassing Kristaps Porziņģis’ 30 points in 2023.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 20, 2026
George has 31 points with the third quarter still in progress. pic.twitter.com/Jcal9U7Ek9
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics collapse in fourth quarter to spoil Paul George's debut