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NBA basketball is so back.
The 2026–27 season tipped off Tuesday with a triple-header that had the hoops world on the edge of its seat from 3 p.m. ET until the Thunder closed out a 116–104 win over the Spurs after midnight. All three season-opening games on NBC were incredibly entertaining, setting the table for a full slate of 11 tilts on Wednesday.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from the first day of what is shaping up to be a thrilling NBA season:
The NBA commissioner probably went to bed Tuesday night with a big smile on his face.
The three games his office hand-selected to open the 2026–27 season went like this: To start, the Pistons erased a 22-point deficit to come back and beat the Celtics at home. Then, the Knicks raised a banner at Madison Square Garden, only for the star-powered 76ers to give them a slice of humble pie in a 106–100 defeat. And to cap it all off, the Spurs and Thunder played a highly contested game that got a bit chippy and reminded us those two young teams make up the NBA’s best current rivalry.
The biggest win of the day for Silver, though, was the 3 p.m. ET tip in Detroit. For the first time, the NBA opted to open up a new season with a matinee—and by all accounts, it was a huge success. But don’t take my word for it.
“It was great, great energy,” Pistons All-Star center Jalen Duren told Sports Illustrated’s Blake Silverman after the game, “especially with how the setup was coming in [to Little Caesars Arena]. It was like college, a football game day or whatever, having the fans all around us and having the hype. It felt like a playoff game. All the T-shirts, all the energy. It was amazing, man, I love these type of atmospheres.”
Could the NBA establish an all-day-long opening day holiday like MLB? I think so. Give me an 8 a.m. ET tip next year.
A new era in Boston didn’t start as Celtics fans had hoped.
Tatum’s first game without longtime running mate Jaylen Brown was rough. His shot was off all afternoon, as he finished with 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting and missed all seven three-point attempts. While he goes down as a loser in this winners and losers exercise, this blurb also could crown Pistons wing Ausar Thompson as a winner. Thompson, one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders, locked Tatum down for much of the game.
“You get him in 1-on-1 situations, you're gonna be in for a long night,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Thompson’s defensive tenacity. “No matter who you are.”
The details that went into New York’s championship rings are incredible. The coolest feature is the Madison Square Garden replica that pops up out of the ring when you twist it counter-clockwise. That’s worth the 53-year wait.
The details behind the reigning champs' rings 🤌
— NBA (@NBA) October 21, 2026
A 16-point diamond representing the 16-point deficit in Game 5, all the players' numbers around the rim, a replica of Madison Square Garden... key attributes that help tell the story behind New York's special year! pic.twitter.com/FelFTIBZ1J
During the second quarter at Frost Bank Center, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox threw Chet Holmgren to the ground, a play that earned him a flagrant 1 foul. Oklahoma City teammates swarmed to Holmgren’s defense, and some pushing and shoving between the Western Conference rivals ensued. Once the officials reviewed the tape, they gave out a technical foul to everyone named Williams on the Thunder’s roster: Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams.
Everyone named Williams got a tech pic.twitter.com/9hWe2hL6wN
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) October 21, 2026
A win would’ve been nice, but nobody had a better debut with their new team than PG13.
In 31 minutes, George scored 38 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including seven three-pointers. He’s topped 38 points just three times over the last three seasons. George is the first player in NBA history to tally at least 35 points and five steals in a first game with a new team.
“The game found him,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He made some great reads throughout the game.”
After the shine and sparkle of ring night faded away, so did Anunoby’s impact on the game. The hero from Game 4 of the Finals didn’t show up Tuesday night, registering just 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting with no assists and five rebounds. On a night the Knicks struggled from the field, Anunoby made just one of his team-high nine attempts from deep. He finished with a plus/minus rating of -20.
Through one game, it’s clear Philadelphia is a perfect fit for LeBron’s 24th season.
James had a very on-brand stat line: 14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists in 34 minutes. He played smart basketball and mostly played the facilitator role, only attempting 13 shots from the field. For context, LeBron took more than 13 shots in 40 of 60 games played last season with the Lakers and in 84% of his games in 2024–25.
It’s fun to see him play with so many other talented scorers. If everyone’s healthy, James can slot in as the 76ers’ fourth scorer behind Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid. That seems perfect for where the soon-to-be 42-year-old is at in his career. But James certainly can still step up as a primary scorer when needed; Tuesday night was just more proof he’s dunking on Father Time once again.
One of the favorites to win MVP this season didn’t look like an MVP to start the year. In 34 minutes, Wembanyama scored just 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while making just one shot all night—an alley-oop from De’Aaron Fox.
It was the worst shooting night of his young career. By far. Entering Tuesday night, Wembanyama had tallied multiple field goals in 180 of 181 career regular-season games, the only other exception being a tilt against the Thunder on Oct. 30, 2024, in which he scored six points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Wemby’s 7-foot rival Chet Holmgren got the best of him on Tuesday, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 31 minutes.
I’ve got some bad news for the 29 NBA teams not located in Oklahoma City: Sam Presti did it again.
Aday Mara, the No. 12 pick of the 2026 draft, looks like he’ll be a factor in the Thunder’s frontcourt for years to come. He played just 12 minutes in the opener, but boy, were they an impressive 12 minutes. In one sequence, Mara swatted a Victor Wembanyama alley-oop at the rim and finished off an oop just seconds later on the other end. He finished with seven points, two rebounds and a block in 12 minutes.
Aday Mara MAKING PLAYS in his first NBA game 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) October 21, 2026
Big-time swat at the rim.
Two-hand alley-oop slam.
The Thunder lead in Q3! pic.twitter.com/YJpmoBAm8J
The biggest loss from the Knicks’ offseason was backup center Mitchell Robinson, who walked in free agency in large part due to James Dolan’s unwillingness to enter the second apron. To replace Robinson, the Knicks brought in 33-year-old center Andre Drummond, which was panned as a downgrade by most. It didn’t look like it Tuesday night.
At halftime, Drummond had already tallied a double-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes. He finished the game with 12 points and 14 rebounds—seven on the offensive glass—in 24 minutes. That’ll do.
ANDRE DRUMMOND IS DOING IT ALL
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 20, 2026
10 PTS - 10 REB - 4/7 FGM
IT'S STILL THE 2ND QUARTER. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Lq69KLS6lO
PODCAST 🎧: Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and . Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
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