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On Tuesday, basketball fans got what they’ve been waiting for with NBA opening night (and day) for the 2026-27 season. This year’s official start to the NBA regular season featured a trio of major matchups showcasing teams with championship aspirations in the new campaign.
In the opener, the Boston Celtics went to Mo-town to take on the Detroit Pistons for a late afternoon clash. In the first game of the evening, the defending champion New York Knicks welcomed the new-look Philadelphia 76ers to Madison Square Garden. Then in the finale, the San Antonio Spurs headed north to battle rivals the Oklahoma City Thunder.
We take a look at the biggest winners and losers from the 2026 NBA opening night games.
When it was revealed that the Celtics had traded Jaylen Brown in a deal that netted them a couple of first-round picks and 36-year-old Paul George, fans and pundits were bewildered. Why Boston take back a player at the end of his career with a bad contract? Yet, the team maintained they felt he would be a good fit in their system.
Well, at least after one game, the nine-time All-Star proved them right. The greybeard led all scorers with 38 points, hit seven three-pointers, and added an impressive five steals. George could get injured in their next game. However, he showed that if healthy, he can still be a big-time player for Boston.
Even before the season started, there was already buzz about Victor Wembanyama being the favorite to win MVP in the 2026-27 season. But he didn’t look like one in the Spurs’ NBA opening night loss to the Thunder.
The big man scored just 12 points on an awful 1-for-13 from the field and 0-for-4 from three. He got strong resistance from rookie Aday Mara and was not the dominant force that gave OKC so much trouble during the Western Conference Finals. It was a night to forget for “Wemby.”
The big question heading into the season was what the roles would be for the various stars the 76ers have, and whether they would be able to accept them if they were not what they were used to. While Philly got the win on Tuesday, Jaylen Brown seemed like an afterthought.
At the end of the night, he had a good stat line, but it will be interesting if a player who had the best season of his career last season will be fine with being a third option all year long.
Pistons All-Star center Jalen Duren took a lot of heat this summer over his desire to get a max contract from Detroit. Instead, after months of back-and-forth, he had to settle for a still-great $200 million extension. A lot of eyes will be on him to prove he is worthy of the massive pay bump he got earlier this month.
On a day when the team’s best player wasn’t on, Duren was able to help pick up the slack. Scoring 22 points and added nine boards in an impressive come-from-behind win over a good Celtics team on NBA opening night. He will need to do this a lot more, but there is a reason why the Pistons gave the 22-year-old such a big contract.
While Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points and eight assists, it was not a great day for the 25-year-old. He hit on just 8 of 18 from the field and was 1 of 6 from three. He also added five turnovers.
If not for a strong game from Jalen Duren and second-half heroics from Duncan Robinson, the result could have been very different because of an average performance in the 2026-27 season opener from the two-time All-Star.
A lot of eyes were on Tuesday’s colossal clash between the Knicks and 76ers, and the man who stole the show was Tyrese Maxey. From the start, his shot looked good, but throughout the game he showed his versatile skill set and why he is one of the best offensive players in the game.
There were some fears that the 76ers may go away from Maxey because of the amount of talent they have. However, the team’s best scorer got all the opportunities he should and delivered for his team.
Tuesday night was another opportunity for Knicks fans to show love for the team’s captain, Jalen Brunson. Unfortunately for New York supporters, their hero was not in midseason form.
Throughout the game, he looked rusty and just a bit off. Brunson missed 13 of his 19 shots, was a -11 when he was on the floor, and Captain Clutch was unable to work his magic to lead his team to a win like he did so many times in their spring title run.
Sure, the Thunder have some really good players, including two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, what makes them such a force is their depth. And that was once again on display during NBA opening night.
OKC got 48 big points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists from their bench. Including 20 points from Jared McCain. It was the big difference in why they were able to get the W going away on Tuesday night.
There is a lot of pressure on Jayson Tatum heading into the new season. Brown had an MVP-caliber season without him in 2025-26. The six-time All-Star who clearly did not mind the team trading Brown must show he can be just as good, if not better, as the undisputed No. 1 on the team.
In his first opportunity on Tuesday, the 28-year-old did not deliver. Tatum had just 13 points on a miserable 6-for-23 from the field, and he missed all seven of his three-point attempts. While he also had 11 assists, the Celtics needed their top star to put the Pistons away as their big lead dwindled in the fourth. He instead came up small.
On Tuesday night. Karl-Anthony Towns was able to put his recent contract drama behind him and have a pretty good game. He posted 19 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks against the 76ers. He did that in only 24 minutes, which is impressive. But he was limited because he was in foul trouble all night.
Towns will walk away from the game thinking that if he could have been on the floor more, his team probably would have gotten a victory on ring night instead of a frustrating loss to a top rival to begin the season.
A few days ago, 2023 lottery pick Cason Wallace joined the rookie extension club, getting five years and $139 million added to his contract. That bump in pay may have added pressure, since he had a lackluster showing on Tuesday.
Wallace scored just six points, going 3-for-8 from the field and 0-for-4 from three. He was a -5 when he was on the court and is lucky he wasn’t part of a loss on opening night.
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