George scores 38 in Celtics debut, but Boston falls to Detroit

Paul George scored 38 points in his Boston Celtics debut, but Detroit erased a 22-point deficit to beat Boston 121-113 in the teams’ season opener Tuesday, October 20. The comeback was Detroit’s largest in a season-opening game since 1997, according to the reported game account. George shot 12-for-21 from the field and 7-for-12 from three-point range. He also had five steals, five rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes. His 38 points were the most by a player in a Celtics debut, and the fifth-highest total by a player in a first game with an NBA franchise, the reports said. Boston built its largest lead early in the third quarter, when George made three three-pointers in less than a minute to put the Celtics ahead 72-50. Detroit then rallied to take control, completing the comeback for a 121-113 victory. Jayson Tatum scored 13 points on 6-for-23 shooting and added 11 assists. He missed all seven of his three-point attempts, according to one account. George praised Tatum’s performance after the game, while Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said George showed comfort and made good reads. Teammate Derrick White said the Celtics tried to find George when he got hot. George said the loss...