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Paul George had the most points in a debut (38) in franchise history.<\/p>\n
The 2026-27 NBA season tipped off with a bang, giving us a three-game slate that began in the afternoon with a classic Eastern Conference matchup and concluded with a battle between two juggernauts in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n
In between, we caught a glimpse of what the Sixers could be, and how hard it\u2019ll be for the Knicks to repeat as champs.<\/p>\n
Here are my fantasy basketball takeaways from NBA Opening Night.<\/p>\n
Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons<\/p>\n
Final: Pistons 121, Celtics 113<\/p>\n
Celtics: Jayson Tatum<\/a> struggled; Paul George<\/a> held it down<\/p>\n Paul George scored 38 points (12-21 FG, 7-8 FT) with 5 rebounds and 3 assists in just 31 minutes. He also hit 7 3s and had 5 steals, totaling 60.5 fantasy points. Dominant on both ends, George couldn\u2019t have had a better debut for Boston. That 35% usage rate is unsustainable and speaks to how reliant the C\u2019s were on George on opening night.<\/p>\n Now all eyes are on Tatum.<\/p>\n Jayson Tatum went the other way, shooting 6-for-23 (0-for-7 from 3) for 13 points, but he still had 11 assists, 4 rebounds and 32 fantasy points. It\u2019s encouraging to see his usage was near 29%, and the shots will fall. He has a penchant for shooting contested jumpers \u2014 and won\u2019t let up on those \u2014 so low-efficiency nights will happen. He should get to the cup more, but either way, it\u2019s a prime buy-low spot for someone panicking, and you could argue it is a perfect sell-high opportunity for George.<\/p>\n Quick hits: Derrick White (17 points, 8 assists, 1 steal and 4 turnovers) and Payton Pritchard (17 points with 4 rebounds in 27 minutes) both had solid outings, not great ones. Both guards were passive, given that Tatum and George accounted for 55% of Boston\u2019s shot attempts. Still, I\u2019m not concerned about either of their fantasy values.<\/p>\n Pistons: Unsung heroes come through<\/p>\n Duncan Robinson (21 points with 5 3s) and Javonte Green (19 points off the bench, plus-21) helped the Pistons rally back from 22 points in a comeback win over the Celtics.<\/p>\n Jalen Duren scored 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting and grabbed 9 rebounds with a 2 stocks in just 28 minutes. He was a force all game and is showing no signs of rust despite missing most of the preseason in a contract standoff. Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists and 2 stocks. Three of Cade\u2019s eight dimes went to Duren, showing that this elite duo hasn\u2019t missed a beat. Cunningham had 5 turnovers, which will always hamper his 9-cat status, but 40 fantasy points and 39 from Duren are still good numbers.<\/p>\n Quick hits: Ausar Thompson stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists and 1 steal in 33 minutes. He also made all three of his free-throw attempts. W.<\/p>\n John Collins was underwhelming in 25 minutes, scoring 6 points, grabbing 5 rebounds with a steal. It was good to see him get backup center minutes behind Duren, though.<\/p>\n Waiver guys: I\u2019d consider Duncan Robinson for Sunday\u2019s matchup against the Sixers if you need 3s and points to win. It\u2019s a seven-game slate, the third-lowest of the week.<\/p>\n Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks<\/p>\n Final: 76ers 106, Knicks 100<\/p>\n 76ers: Joel Embiid<\/a> played defense; Tyrese Maxey<\/a> is the 1A<\/p>\n Joel Embiid shot 4-for-15 but still got 13 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks, for 46.2 fantasy points. His defense carried his second-half performance, though he also took a reckless shot late, an all-too-familiar bonehead play. Hopefully he realizes he doesn\u2019t need to do that much: stay healthy, rebound, defend, don\u2019t flop and don\u2019t make bad business decisions.<\/p>\n Tyrese Maxey looked like the 1A, with 28 points, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in 39 minutes, equating to 56.3 fantasy points. 6 stocks is ridiculous for a guard. Can\u2019t believe people were concerned about him. He also had the highest usage rate among the starters.<\/p>\n Quick hits: LeBron James had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 stocks and 1 turnover. Jaylen Brown balled out in 34 minutes, scoring 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 stocks. VJ Edgecombe had 9 points on 4-for-10 in 34 minutes. I warned about his usage and opportunity, and the first game he looked like I expected. Ten shots won\u2019t cut it, and without an injury to the other four starters, nights like this will be common.<\/p>\n Waiver guys: Anfernee Simons? He scored 13 points with three 3s in 25 minutes. Since the Sixers play three more games this week (including a back-to-back) on the lightest slates, I would pick him up for scoring and 3s like Robinson.<\/p>\n Knicks: Jalen Brunson\u2019s<\/a> burner wasn\u2019t lit on ring night<\/p>\n Jalen Brunson shot 6-for-19 (32%) and 1-for-3 from 3 for 21 points. He went 8-for-8 at the line, adding 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, with no stocks in 34 minutes. His 29.5 fantasy points fell short of expectations, but his 28% usage rate held. \u00a0Karl-Anthony Towns was efficient but was limited by foul trouble: 19 points on 6-for-9, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 4 turnovers in 24 minutes. No concerns from a fantasy perspective.<\/p>\n Quick hits: OG Anunoby had a rough shooting night, going for 10 points on 3-for-12 from the field and 1-for-9 from 3. Josh Hart had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Mikal Bridges had a forgettable game, with 4 points on 2-for-8 shooting with 3 boards and no stocks.<\/p>\n Waiver guys: Andre Drummond had 12 points and 14 rebounds, but don\u2019t trust it. KAT was in foul trouble, and when Drummond gets 13 shot attempts, it\u2019s probably good for the opposing team. If you\u2019re down on rebounds heading into Sunday, he\u2019s an option, but don\u2019t expect this level of output.<\/p>\n Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n Final: Thunder 116, Spurs 104<\/p>\n