Boston Celtics forward Paul George is fouled by Detroit Pistons players during an NBA game on Tuesday.

DETROIT — Paul George looks like he's still got it.

He scored 38 points — the most by a Boston Celtic on debut, and the fifth-most by a player in his first game with an NBA franchise — in a 121-113 defeat Tuesday.

"I'm not a moral victory guy," George said after making 12 of 21 shots, including seven of 12 three-pointers. "It means nothing."

Maybe not, but the nine-time All-Star was impressive and earned a spot in rarefied air.

The NBA scoring record for a debut was set by Kyrie Irving in 2019, when he had 50 with the Brooklyn Nets.

Kiki Vandeweghe had 47 points in his first game with Portland in 1984, Wilt Chamberlain scored 43 points in his NBA debut with Philadelphia in 1959 and Damian Lillard had 39 points in his Milwaukee debut in 2023.

George, in his 17th season, was acquired in a trade with the 76ers last summer in exchange for 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.

Even though George wasn't celebrating his performance due to the loss, the 36-year-old forward was encouraged by his health.

Injuries — and a 25-game suspension for flunking a drug test — limited him to 37 and 41 games, respectively, in the last two regular seasons with the Sixers. During training camp with the Celtics, George said his legs felt heavy.

In his first game with his fifth team, he didn't know what to expect.

"It's hard to know until the lights come on," George said. "It was a rough camp for me."

He looked smooth in Motown in his 31 minutes, with five steals, five rebounds and three assists.

"It was a thing to watch," teammate Derrick White said. "He got hot and we tried to find him."

The Celtics found George early in the third quarter, leading to him making three 3-pointers in less than a minute to put them ahead 72-50.

Boston then became the fifth team in 30 seasons to lose an opening game after leading by 22 points, allowing Detroit to earn the biggest comeback win in a league opener since 1997.

"If we're in the driver's seat like that, we'll learn how to close out games," George said. George certainly did his part.

"He was unbelievable," Jayson Tatum said.

George, though, gave the Celtics a lot to like.

"Just his comfort level," reigning NBA Coach of the Year Joe Mazzulla said. "The game found him, he made some great reads throughout the game. It was good. He was able to find advantages for himself and others, we just have to continue that."

Tatum, though, was off his game.

He missed 17 of 23 shots and had 13 points and 11 assists. His lack of hustle on defense allowed Javonte Green to take his time for a fifth 3-pointer that gave the Pistons a 13-point lead with 3:33 left.

Tatum, a six-time All-Star, is set to play his first full season since tearing his Achilles tendon in May 2025.

Boston took its biggest lead early in the third quarter at 72-50, after George made three 3-pointers in less than a minute.

Detroit cut its deficit to six points after three quarters and surged ahead in the fourth. Green made a go-ahead 3, Jalen Duren added a three-point play and Duncan Robinson connected on a 3 to put the Pistons ahead 107-99 with 5:10 to go.

Robinson scored 21 points to spark the Pistons' fierce second-half fightback.

Cade Cunningham and Duren led Detroit with 22 points each, while reserve Green added 19 points and Ausar Thompson had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Pistons trailed by as many as 22 points before seizing command with a 23-0 fourth-quarter run, with Robinson scoring 12 in the streak, to grab a 112-99 advantage.

Green's three-pointer with 6:41 remaining gave the Pistons the lead for the first time since early in the second quarter at 101-99 and the Celtics never led again.

"We just didn't do our brand of basketball good enough in the first half and we had to turn it up," Cunningham said. "We had a good talk at halftime and lit that fire a little bit better.

"We've just got to get our camaraderie and our synergy a little bit better, but that will come as the season goes on."

AP