Paul George moved into eighth place on the NBA all-time 3-pointers made list Tuesday night, passing Kyle Korver during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons. The shot gave George 2,451 career 3-pointers, and it came in the middle of a Celtics debut that quickly turned into a milestone night.
George was already building toward that moment before the break. He had 17 points in the first half and later finished with 38 points on 12-for-21 shooting, plus five steals. That made him the first player since steals began being tracked in 1973-74 to post at least 35 points and five steals in a debut with a new team.
The bigger number for Boston was 38. George's total topped Kristaps Porziņģis's 30-point mark from 2023 for the most points in a Celtics debut, and it did so while he was still adding to the long-range ledger that has defined much of his career. NBA.com tracked the climb in real time, noting that the triple pushed him into eighth all-time, while also pointing out that he had 17 at halftime as the Celtics led on NBC and Peacock.
There is still one rung above him. George now trails Reggie Miller, whose 2,560 career 3-pointers leave him 109 ahead, so the next move up the list is not close enough to happen by accident. That is what gives Tuesday's game its edge: a debut that was already notable became a historical marker, and the search now shifts from what George just passed to whether he can make another jump before long.
For Boston, the night offered exactly the kind of start that changes the tone around a new arrival. For George, it was the rare kind of opener that can live in two records at once: a place in the top eight all time from deep, and a debut line that forces a rethink of what the Celtics may have added.
