NBA Scores & Results: October 20, 2026

Opening night went 2-1 for the road teams. Pistons came back from 22 down to beat Celtics 121-113, 76ers spoiled the Knicks banner night 106-100, and Thunder beat Spurs 116-104 in the West Finals rematch.

All three games aired on NBC and Peacock. Tonight's slate has 11 games; see How to watch NBA tonight or the live channel grid.

What were the NBA scores last night?

Pistons 121, Celtics 113

By quarter: Boston 28-30-30-25, Detroit 27-18-37-39. Detroit won the fourth quarter by 14.

Top performers:

• Paul George (BOS): 38 points, 12-21 FG, 7-12 3PT, 7-8 FT, 5 rebounds, 5 steals
• Cade Cunningham (DET): 22 points, 8-18 FG, 8 assists, 4 rebounds
• Jalen Duren (DET): 22 points, 8-13 FG, 9 rebounds
• Duncan Robinson (DET): 21 points, 5-9 3PT
• Javonte Green (DET): 19 points, 5-8 3PT, all after halftime
• Jayson Tatum (BOS): 13 points, 6-23 FG, 0-7 3PT, 11 assists

Key moments: George hit three 3-pointers in under a minute early in the third quarter to push Boston's lead to 72-50. Detroit cut it to six by the end of the third, then took over: Green's go-ahead 3, a Duren three-point play and a Robinson 3 made it 107-99 with 5:10 left. Green's fifth 3 put Detroit up 13 with 3:33 to go. George's 38 is the most by a Celtic in his team debut (AP).

Injuries: no in-game injuries were reported in the AP game story.

Up next: Celtics host the Knicks Friday on Prime Video. Pistons visit the Heat Friday.

76ers 106, Knicks 100

By quarter: Philadelphia 23-31-29-23, New York 25-33-18-24. The Sixers took control with a 29-18 third quarter.

Top performers:

• Tyrese Maxey (PHI): 28 points, 9-19 FG, 8-9 FT, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks
• Jalen Brunson (NY): 21 points, 6-19 FG, 8-8 FT
• Jaylen Brown (PHI): 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists in his 76ers debut
• Karl-Anthony Towns (NY): 19 points, 12 rebounds, 3-4 3PT
• LeBron James (PHI): 14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists to open his 24th season
• Joel Embiid (PHI): 13 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks

Key moments: the Knicks raised their championship banner and got their rings before tip. Philadelphia closed the third on an 11-0 run, capped by Brown's buzzer-beating 3 for an 83-76 lead. New York got within 96-95 on a Towns 3, but Embiid answered with a 3 and the Sixers held on. The Knicks shot 37% from the field.

Injuries: no in-game injuries were reported in the AP game story.

Up next: Sixers host the Cavaliers Thursday on ESPN. Knicks visit the Celtics Friday on Prime Video.

Thunder 116, Spurs 104

By quarter: Oklahoma City 34-31-28-23, San Antonio 28-16-36-24. OKC led by 21 at the half and for all but the first five minutes.

Top performers:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC): 32 points, 13-27 FG, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks
• Stephon Castle (SA): 24 points, 5-12 3PT, 7 rebounds
• Jared McCain (OKC): 20 points, 7-9 FG, 6-8 3PT off the bench
• Dylan Harper (SA): 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
• Chet Holmgren (OKC): 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks
• Victor Wembanyama (SA): 12 points, 1-13 FG, 10-12 FT, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks

Key moments: early in the second quarter, De'Aaron Fox got a Flagrant 1 for throwing Chet Holmgren to the floor, and the scrum that followed drew technicals for Wembanyama, Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams. OKC answered with a 9-0 run and later a 13-0 run for a 59-33 lead. San Antonio opened the second half on a 23-9 run to get within single digits, but Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain combined for 25 second-half points. Wembanyama missed his first 12 shots; his only field goal was an alley-oop at the third-quarter buzzer.

Injuries: no in-game injuries were reported in the AP game story.

Up next: Thunder host the Nuggets Thursday on ESPN. Spurs host the Rockets in Austin Friday on Prime Video.

Where can I watch highlights and replays?

Highlights: free on NBA.com, the NBA app and the NBA's YouTube channel, plus each team's site and social accounts.

Full replays: all three games were national NBC and Peacock games, so NBA League Pass posts full replays and condensed games at 6am ET the day after, per the NBA's help center. League Pass is the paid route; see our cheapest way to watch your team tool for the season math.

What does it mean for the standings?

It's one game, so it means little yet. Detroit, Philadelphia and Oklahoma City are 1-0; Boston, New York and San Antonio are 0-1. Twenty-two teams open tonight, and Cleveland and Denver open Thursday.

Missed which channel your team is on now? Where every team moved covers the new local homes, and the blackout checker tells you what League Pass will show in your ZIP.

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