Paul George dismisses record Celtics debut: ‘It means nothing’

October 20, 2026

Paul George delivered the highest-scoring debut in Celtics history. He wasn’t interested in celebrating it.

“I’m not a moral victory guy,” George said, via The Associated Press. “It means nothing.”

That was his assessment after scoring 38 points in Tuesday’s 121-113 season-opening loss to the Pistons. Boston led by 22 points before Detroit rallied, including a 23-0 fourth-quarter run that erased an otherwise encouraging introduction for George.

The nine-time All-Star shot 12-of-21 from the field and 7-of-12 from three-point range, adding five steals, five rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes.

Early in the third quarter, he hit three threes in less than a minute to push Boston’s lead to 72-50. Then the Celtics lost control.

“If we’re in the driver’s seat like that, we’ll learn how to close out games,” George said.

Beyond the result, George had reason to feel encouraged physically. The 36-year-old acknowledged that training camp had been difficult, with heavy legs and conditioning concerns leaving him uncertain about how he would perform.

“It’s hard to know until the lights come on,” he said. “It was a rough camp for me.”

Tuesday offered a promising answer after two injury-interrupted seasons with the Sixers. Acquired in the summer trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, George immediately gave Boston the scoring it envisioned alongside Jayson Tatum.

“He was unbelievable,” Tatum said.

Tatum struggled with his own shot, finishing with 13 points and 11 assists while going 6-of-23 from the field. George found his rhythm much more quickly, and coach Joe Mazzulla liked how naturally the opportunities developed.

“The game found him, he made some great reads throughout the game,” Mazzulla said. “He was able to find advantages for himself and others, we just have to continue that.”

Boston got an impressive first look at its new forward. George would have preferred a less memorable scoring night and a win.