A 22-point lead vanishes at the free-throw line and on the glass
Boston matched Detroit shot for shot and won the turnover count, but made 12 fewer free throws and had 10 fewer rebounds.
Boston led Detroit by as many as 22 points in Tuesday's season opener and lost 121-113. The shooting lines were nearly identical, and the Celtics turned the ball over less. The game turned on two other lines in the box score: Detroit made 12 more free throws and pulled down 10 more rebounds.
Even where games usually turn
Both teams shot 45% from the field. Boston made 40 of 88 shots and Detroit made 39 of 86. From three, the Celtics were 17 of 42 and the Pistons 15 of 40. Boston also committed 14 turnovers to Detroit's 17.
Those are the numbers that usually decide an opener, and Boston was even or ahead on all of them. The gap came from what the shooting lines leave out.
The free-throw line
Detroit attempted 32 free throws and made 28. Boston attempted 21 and made 16. Detroit's 12-point edge in made free throws was larger than its 8-point margin on the scoreboard. Boston was whistled for 26 fouls to Detroit's 22.
The glass
Detroit outrebounded Boston 49-39. Ausar Thompson grabbed 11 rebounds and Jalen Duren had 22 points and 9 rebounds, while the top rebounder for Boston was Jordan Walsh with 6 in 13 minutes. Boston's three centers (Mitchell Robinson, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza) combined for 9 rebounds in 48 minutes, and Detroit also led 44-34 in points in the paint.
The pattern raises a question for the closing center competition: the minutes at center produced little on the boards in the one game that counted.
Two stars, two very different nights
Paul George scored 38 points in his Celtics debut, making 12 of 21 shots and 7 of 12 threes, with 5 steals in 31 minutes. Boston outscored Detroit by 9 points while George was on the floor, which means Detroit outscored Boston by 17 points in the minutes he sat.
Jayson Tatum went 6 of 23 from the field and 0 of 7 from three, though he added 11 assists in 38 minutes.
What it does and does not show
One game is a small sample, and free-throw attempts and whistle counts swing widely from night to night. Detroit's 28 of 32 at the line was 88%, a rate unlikely to be the norm. The shooting parity suggests the offense held up. The rebounding and paint numbers are the ones worth tracking, because they point to a roster question rather than a hot night.
Boston's next game is Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. ET against the Knicks at TD Garden on Prime Video.
Sources: box score data and league schedule data, with Celtics Crew's calculations from them.