NBA2026-10-21Pistons Spoil Paul George's 38-Point Celtics Debut: Duncan Robinson, Javonte Green and the Opening-Week Waiver Wire
By Verdexed Fantasy Desk
The Detroit Pistons erased a 22-point deficit and beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 on Tuesday, the largest comeback on the first day of an NBA season in the play-by-play era, according to the league. Detroit closed with a 23-0 fourth-quarter run that turned a 99-89 deficit into a 112-99 lead with 3:33 left. Paul George scored 38 points in his Celtics debut, a franchise record for a first game, and it was not enough.
Jalen Duren and Cade Cunningham each scored 22 for Detroit, but the fantasy story is further down the box score. Duncan Robinson scored 21, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and Javonte Green came off the bench in the third quarter to score 19. Those two lead a short list of opening-night performers worth a look before Wednesday's 11-game slate, alongside an injury board that has firmed up since Tuesday.
How Detroit flipped it
Boston led 72-50 with 8:32 left in the third quarter, and George was the reason. He scored 17 in the first half and 14 more in the third, finishing 12-of-21 from the field and 7-of-12 from three with five rebounds, three assists and five steals in 31 minutes. His 38 points broke the Celtics debut mark of 30 that Kristaps Porzingis set in 2023.
George arrived in July when Boston sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for George and draft compensation, including an unprotected 2031 Philadelphia first-round pick, per ESPN. The trade was widely panned in Boston, and one night of shot-making will not settle that debate, but it showed George can still carry a scoring load.
The collapse came on the other end of the floor and from the Celtics' best player. Jayson Tatum scored 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting, missed all seven of his threes and went 1-of-10 in the second half, although he did post a game-high 11 assists. J.B. Bickerstaff credited Ausar Thompson's defense on Tatum, and Detroit won the second-chance battle 24-16.
| Player | Team | Line | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul George | Celtics | 38 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl | 12-of-21 FG, 7-of-12 3PT, 31 minutes |
| Jayson Tatum | Celtics | 13 pts, 11 ast | 6-of-23 FG, 0-of-7 3PT |
| Cade Cunningham | Pistons | 22 pts, 8 ast | 14 in second half |
| Jalen Duren | Pistons | 22 pts, 9 reb | 13 in first half |
| Duncan Robinson | Pistons | 21 pts | 15 in fourth quarter |
| Javonte Green | Pistons | 19 pts | 5 threes in 17 minutes, all after halftime |
The Detroit pieces: who to add, who to hold
Duren is already rostered nearly everywhere, but his line matters. He missed the first week of camp during contract talks and showed no rust, scoring 13 in the first half. He is a locked-in starter for rebounds, field-goal percentage and blocks.
Robinson is the most interesting add. He scored nine of his 15 fourth-quarter points on threes and went 6-of-8 at the line in that quarter, and he was already one of the most-added players before opening night on FantasySP's tracker. In leagues that count threes, his shooting role in a Cunningham-led offense gives him a usable floor, and nights like Tuesday show the ceiling.
Green is the trap. His 19 points came in 17 minutes after he did not play in the first half and entered with Detroit down 74-53. He tied a career high with five threes and scored 11 points in a two-minute burst. That is a hot streak, not a role. Watch whether he plays in the first half of the next game before spending a claim.
Other opening-night adds worth a look
Jared McCain, Thunder. He hit 6-of-8 threes and scored 20 off the bench in Oklahoma City's win at San Antonio. Yahoo had him rostered in about 19 percent of leagues before the season, and the Thunder play three times this week.
Andre Drummond, Knicks. In his first game in New York, he had 12 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 24 minutes off the bench as Karl-Anthony Towns fought foul trouble. He is a rebounds-and-steals specialist for deep leagues.
Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 76ers. Simons scored 13 with three threes and Caldwell-Pope added 10 with two threes off Philadelphia's bench in the win over the Knicks. The Sixers play four games this week, the most of any team, which boosts any rotation player's weekly value.
Deeper names from the preseason. Yahoo also flagged Jeremiah Fears (Pelicans), Isaiah Jackson (Clippers), Jalen Smith (Bulls, with Nic Claxton out) and Dennis Schroder (Hornets, with Coby White and Kon Knueppel out) as opening-week adds. All four play on Wednesday.
The Wednesday injury board
Wednesday features 11 games. The statuses below come from team reports and beat coverage as of Wednesday. We have left off players whose status sources disagree. Stephen Curry's ankle was covered in our Tuesday piece; the update is that he has moved to probable for the Lakers game, while Brandin Podziemski has been ruled out.
| Player | Team | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | Warriors | Right ankle sprain | Probable vs. Lakers |
| Brandin Podziemski | Warriors | Back | Out vs. Lakers |
| Kristaps Porzingis | Warriors | Illness | Out indefinitely |
| Deni Avdija | Trail Blazers | Right ankle soreness | Questionable vs. Suns |
| Shaedon Sharpe | Trail Blazers | Meniscus surgery | Out |
| Mark Williams | Suns | Shoulder | Out |
| Dereck Lively II | Mavericks | Foot | Out vs. Rockets |
| Kyrie Irving | Mavericks | Knee (ACL recovery) | Expected to return vs. Rockets |
| Aaron Nesmith | Pacers | Hamstring | Out at Pelicans |
| Johnny Furphy | Pacers | Knee | Out (reportedly a torn ACL) |
| Donte DiVincenzo | Timberwolves | Achilles | Out at Heat |
| Jordan Hawkins | Bulls | Illness | Out at Raptors |
| AJ Dybantsa | Wizards | Ankle sprain | Out vs. Bucks |
| Anthony Black | Magic | Not specified | Out vs. Hawks |
| Kon Knueppel | Hornets | Left hamstring strain | Out at Nets |
The most actionable item is Avdija. If he sits, reports suggest Sidy Cissoko could start and Ja Morant would see more usage. Morant should be started either way, and Cissoko is only a Wednesday streamer in deep leagues if Avdija is ruled out at shootaround.
Verdexed angle
Do not let one fourth quarter redraw Detroit's pecking order. Cunningham and Duren remain the engine, and Robinson's value comes from a defined job: space the floor and make threes. That makes him a steady category-league add, while Green's outburst was situational.
For Boston, George's debut is the clearest buy signal. He looked like the primary scorer while Tatum struggled, and Payton Pritchard and Derrick White each scored 17. Tatum's 6-of-23 night is a sell-low trap, so hold him. The Celtics play only twice this week, which limits everyone's weekly value but not their season-long outlook.
For waiver priorities, prioritize roles over box scores. Robinson, McCain and Drummond have identifiable jobs. Green and the Sixers' bench shooters are streamers. Verdexed's game-by-game calls live at /nba/predictions, and the full Wednesday breakdown is at /blog/nba-picks-2026-10-21.
What's next
The Celtics host the champion Knicks in their home opener on Friday at TD Garden, a game that will test Tatum's response and whether George can repeat his debut. Boston's two-game week means daily-lineup managers should prioritize other Celtics alternatives on non-game days.
Detroit's next priority is figuring out who closes games. Robinson and Green earned fourth-quarter trust on Tuesday, and Bickerstaff's rotation in the next game will tell fantasy managers whether that was a one-night adjustment or a sign of things to come. Before Wednesday lock, check final statuses on Avdija, Curry and the rest of the board above, since designations can still change at shootaround.