The Detroit Pistons staged a 22-point comeback to beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 in the opening game of the 2026-27 NBA season.
The victory marked the biggest comeback on opening night since the 1997-98 season and Detroit’s largest comeback win over Boston in 30 seasons.
Shooting guard Duncan Robinson played a key role in the turnaround, scoring 15 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Pistons overturned the deficit to seal the win.
Speaking after the remarkable win, Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff pointed to “playing Detroit basketball” as the reason they were able to pull off the comeback win.
of the Detroit Pistons reacts in the second half while playing the Boston Celtics (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“The opponent doesn’t matter. What people say doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is if we play Pistons basketball.”
“I thought tonight we found enough stretches where we did, and when we played Pistons basketball, we’re hard to beat. That’s the only thing that matters” Bickertsaff said.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum endured a difficult outing, scoring just 13 points and missing all seven of his attempts from three-point range.
