Detroit erase a 22-point hole with a 23-0 run on NBA opening night
Cunningham and Duren scored 22 each, but a five-minute 23-0 fourth-quarter run decided the 121-113 win over Boston.
Events: 20 Oct 2026
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The Detroit Pistons came back from a 22-point second-half deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 on the opening day of the 2026-27 NBA season. According to the NBA’s official report, Detroit launched a 23-0 run while trailing 99-89 and turned the game into a 112-99 lead in five minutes.
Four different answers
Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points and eight assists, while Jalen Duren had 22 points and nine rebounds. Duncan Robinson added 21 and reserve Javonte Green scored 19. From BSR’s perspective, the rally was more than one star dragging Detroit back: Green’s energy, Robinson’s fourth quarter and Cunningham’s decisions converged in the same five-minute spell.
A record inside the defeat
Paul George scored 38 points, a record for a Celtics debut, but Boston could not close the game. Opening night’s useful lesson is therefore not the early 22-point margin; it is that Detroit’s supporting cast could change the pace. More NBA coverage is in the BSR archive.
