Down 22, Pistons Stun Celtics in NBA Opener as Robinson Sparks 23-0 Run

The Detroit Pistons wrote a remarkable comeback story in the NBA's regular-season opener on Tuesday afternoon, overturning a 22-point deficit to beat the visiting Boston Celtics 121-113. A run of 23 unanswered points in the fourth quarter turned the game on its head.

Duncan Robinson was the hero of the night. He scored 21 points in total, 15 of them in the fourth quarter. Jalen Duren and Cade Cunningham scored 22 points apiece for the Pistons, Javonte Green came off the bench to add 19 points in just 18 minutes, and Ausar Thompson contributed 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

For Boston, Paul George scored a game-high 38 points on his Celtics debut. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White scored 17 points each, but Jayson Tatum was held to 13 points on six-for-23 shooting, although he did hand out 11 assists.

The first half told a very different story. Detroit led 39-35 early in the second quarter before Boston reeled off 15 unanswered points to seize control. George scored the Celtics' final eight points of the half as Boston took a 58-45 lead into the break.

George showed no signs of cooling off in the third quarter, hitting three three-pointers in a 52-second span to give Boston their biggest lead at 72-50. At that point the game looked all but over.

Then the picture began to change. Green entered the game to slow George down and did exactly that, while also giving Detroit an offensive spark. He scored 11 points in the quarter, including three three-pointers, as the Pistons pulled within three in the closing seconds.

George opened the fourth quarter with a layup to give Boston a 90-82 lead, and the Celtics soon stretched their advantage to 12 points. But Detroit began another comeback, sparked by a three-point play from Thompson.

Robinson scored 11 straight points to pull the Pistons within one at 99-98. He then set up a three-pointer for Green before Duren converted a three-point play, and Robinson hit another three-pointer with 5 minutes 13 seconds remaining to put Detroit ahead 107-99.

Green capped the 23-0 run with another three-pointer, extending the Pistons' lead to 112-99 with 3 minutes 33 seconds left. Boston rallied to within four points, but Green made two free throws with 6.7 seconds remaining to seal Detroit's opening-day victory.

The Pistons led the Eastern Conference with 60 wins last season. A comeback win like this in the first game of the new season will only raise their confidence, while for the Celtics it is a frustrating lesson in failing to protect a big lead.