NBA Preseason Finale: Celtics and Bucks Win in Overtime

The NBA preseason closed on Friday, October 16, 2026 with two overtime finishes in the East and a rookie taking over a fourth quarter in Detroit. Boston beat Philadelphia 125-120 in overtime, Milwaukee beat Indiana 128-127 in overtime, and Detroit beat Toronto 129-125. Later games out west were still in progress when these finals were confirmed, so this roundup covers only the verified final scores.

Celtics 125, 76ers 120 in overtime

Philadelphia got the show it wanted from its stars and still lost. Joel Embiid scored 27 points on 7 of 13 shooting, with eight rebounds and five assists. Tyrese Maxey added 22 points and six assists. The pair took over stretches of the third quarter, and the 76ers led by eight after three.

Boston closed better. Jaylen Brown scored 20 points with eight rebounds and three assists, and the Celtics outscored Philadelphia 31-21 in the fourth quarter and 10-5 in overtime.

LeBron James, in his first home game as a 76er, had eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Philadelphia held out VJ Edgecombe, who had played the first three preseason games, and stayed without Adem Bona, Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow and Tacko Fall. The result counts for nothing in the standings, but the shape of the game mattered: Philadelphia's starters looked sharp in bursts, and its depth gave the game back late.

Pistons 129, Raptors 125

Detroit finished the preseason 3-1 with a win that nearly slipped away. The Pistons led Toronto by as many as 13 points, shot 58 percent from the field and put six players in double figures. Cade Cunningham led the starters with 18 points and seven assists. Jalen Duren added 14 points in his second exhibition game.

Toronto rested most of its regular rotation on the second night of a back to back, including Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes, and still rallied. A 13-0 run against the Detroit bench gave the Raptors a 100-99 lead with 7:08 left. First round pick Ebuka Okorie, who did not enter until the fourth quarter, scored all 14 of his points in the period and closed the game at the free throw line. A corner three by Nimari Burnett cut the lead to 125-124 with 5.7 seconds left before Detroit finished it off.

Ausar Thompson scored 12 points on 5 of 5 shooting and John Collins had 12 points and eight rebounds for Detroit. Toronto shot 42.9 percent. Detroit now opens the regular season at home against Boston on Tuesday.

Bucks 128, Pacers 127 in overtime

Indiana's starters produced the best half of their preseason and it still was not enough. The Pacers led 71-56 at halftime, their highest scoring half in four exhibition games, with 19 assists before the break. Pascal Siakam scored 24 points in 21 minutes, hitting 8 of 10 shots and five three pointers. Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard combined for 13 first half assists, and Nembhard finished with 11 points, seven assists and no turnovers.

The Pacers rested their starters after halftime, in what head coach Rick Carlisle treated as a dress rehearsal, and Milwaukee came back. The Bucks outscored Indiana 27-24 in the fourth quarter, Kel'el Ware tied the game at 117-117 with a basket with 1.6 seconds left, and Milwaukee won by one in overtime. Tyler Herro scored 16 points in the third quarter for the Bucks. Assistant coach Lloyd Pierce ran the Pacers bench with Carlisle away in Charlottesville, Virginia for a family event for his daughter.

Indiana opens the regular season on Wednesday at New Orleans. The Pacers and Bucks meet again early, on October 26 at Fiserv Forum.

What the night settled

Preseason results fade fast, but Friday gave three clear reads. Boston's closing group already looks reliable. Detroit's rookie class can finish a game, not just fill minutes. And Indiana's first half showed what its offense looks like with Haliburton healthy and running it, which is the single biggest change for the Pacers from last season.