The 2026-27 NBA season tipped off on Tuesday with a tripleheader.
In the first game of the year, the Boston Celtics visited the Detroit Pistons in a battle between the Eastern Conference’s top two teams from last season.
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In the second game, the New York Knicks raised their 2026 championship banner to the rafters of Madison Square Garden in front of LeBron James and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers.
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The night culminated with a rematch of last year’s Western Conference finals, with the OKC Thunder getting their revenge on the San Antonio Spurs. The game also featured two MVP favorites this season: Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from the 2026-27 NBA opening night.
Winner No. 1: Paul George’s Boston debut
Paul George was the lone bright spot for the Boston Celtics in their 121-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons. He played 31 minutes and finished with 38 points, five rebounds, three assists and five steals on 12-for-21 shooting, including 7-for-12 from the 3-point range. He is the first player in league history to tally at least 35 points and five steals in a first game with a new team.
George’s opening-night performance is a positive sign for the Celtics, who hope the 36-year-old star can form a deadly combination with Jayson Tatum.
Winner No. 2: Pistons’ comeback victory
The Pistons used a 23-0 second-half run to complete the comeback win on Tuesday. They trailed 72-50 early in the third quarter. Duncan Robinson and Javonte Green, who did not play in the first half, contributed to Detroit’s rally.
Robinson finished with 21 points on 5-for-10 shooting, including 5-for-9 from the 3-point line, while Green scored 19 points off the bench. All-Stars Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren led the way with 22 points apiece.
Winner No. 3: Tyrese Maxey
Heading into the season, there has been much discussion about how Tyrese Maxey would fare in a star-studded lineup that includes LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown.
He finished with a game-high 28 points on 9-for-19 shooting, including five assists, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 106-100 win over the New York Knicks.
Through one game, it seems like the Sixers’ stars fit together perfectly, with Maxey leading the offense. Many had expressed concern that Philly’s other All-Star might affect Maxey’s development. He is coming off a career season, averaging 28.3 points, 6.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Winner No. 4: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP form
Reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the OKC Thunder to a 116-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs with 32 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. In 36 minutes, he shot 13-for-27, including 3-for-7 from the 3-point range.
Gilgeous-Alexander, expected to be an MVP favorite this season, led the young Thunder to a gritty win over what many see as their biggest rival.
Winner No. 5: OKC’s depth
The Thunder have been widely praised for their roster depth, and they showed it on opening night. OKC’s bench scored 48 points on Tuesday, including 20 from guard Jared McCain (7-for-9 shooting, including 6-for-8 from 3-point range).
Alex Caruso added nine points and six rebounds off the bench. Aday Mara, a 7-foot-3 rookie, chipped in seven points and two rebounds in 12 minutes, including a sequence in the third quarter wherein he blocked Wembanyama and scored on the other end.
Loser No. 1: Jayson Tatum
On Tuesday, Celtics star Jayson Tatum finished with 13 points and 11 assists but missed 17 of 23 attempts, going 6-for-23 and missing all seven of his 3-point shots. His dismal shooting performance contributed to Boston’s collapse. Tatum was just 1-for-9 in the second half, and his only field goal came with less than three minutes remaining.
Tatum will need a great offensive game every night for Boston, especially as they enter their first season without 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
Loser No. 2: Knicks’ struggles on ring night
New York raised its first championship banner in over five decades, but the title celebration and festive atmosphere were cut short as the Knicks struggled all night against the Sixers.
2026 NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson led the way with 21 points, but shot just 6-for-19. OG Anunoby, the Knicks’ second-leading scorer in last year’s playoffs, scored just 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting.
New York finished shooting just 37.2% (35-for-94), including 33.3% from the 3-point line (11-for-33).
Loser No. 3: Karl-Anthony Towns
Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns, who led the NBA in offensive fouls last season, got into foul trouble in the season opener. The six-time All-Star picked up two quick fouls in just over three minutes into the game. The second was widely described as “unnecessary” after he kicked his leg out while shooting an open 3-pointer.
Towns finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes, and the Knicks need him on the floor, especially with key backup big Mitchell Robinson leaving in the offseason. While the 33-year-old Andre Drummond held his ground on Tuesday (12 points and 14 rebounds), that won’t be sustainable in New York’s title defense.
Loser No. 4: Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama, who is an MVP favorite coming into the season, finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds on Tuesday. He started 0-for-12 and got his first field goal on the last play of the third quarter, an alley-oop dunk.
Games like this are rare for the French superstar, but he failed to send a message to what many have described as their biggest rival.
Entering the season, Wembanyama had recorded multiple field goals in 180 of 181 career regular-season games; the only other game was against OKC in October 2024, when he shot 1-of-5 for six points.
Loser No. 5: Thunder and Spurs players in a mini-scuffle
During the second quarter at Frost Bank Center, San Antonio and OKC got into an altercation after Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox committed a hard foul on Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, which was later upgraded to a flagrant 1.
After the foul, players pushed and shoved each other, including a confrontation between Victor Wembanyama and Jaylin Williams. Officials assessed technical fouls on Wembanyama, Williams, Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams.
While the game got a bit chippy and had a playoff-like atmosphere, it was the season’s first match, and the technical fouls could prove costly later in the year. Under the rules, a player’s 16th technical foul results in a one-game suspension and a $5,000 fine.
Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein
