The Boston Celtics made a statement against the Philadelphia 76ers in their first matchup of the season on Tuesday night, cruising to an emphatic 123-101 victory in Philly.
All eyes were on Jayson Tatum and his ex-C’s teammate Jaylen Brown, but it was former Sixer Paul George who stole the show. George, who was acquired from Philly in the Brown trade, dropped a game-high 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting (6-of-11 from 3-point range).
Brown snubbed Tatum before the opening tip-off, but Tatum had the last laugh. He finished with 21 points (8-17 FG), six rebounds, four assists, and two blocks to outduel Brown, who had 13 points (4-9 FG), five rebounds, two assists, and was a -27 in his first game against his former team.
The Celtics took an 11-point lead into the half, but the Sixers rallied in the third quarter and tied it back up. It turned out to be just a brief lapse for the C’s, who quickly bounced back and steamrolled Philly in the fourth quarter to finish off a 22-point victory.
Boston’s bench played a huge role in the win. Payton Pritchard notched 18 points while shooting 4-of-8 from 3. Sam Hauser added 12 points and shot 4-of-6 from deep. Hugo Gonzalez tallied 10 points and drilled two 3s.
On the Sixers’ side, Tyrese Maxey did his part with a team-high 23 points. Joel Embiid had 16 points, 11 coming from the free-throw line. Former Celtic Anfernee Simons notched 17 off the bench, and LeBron James finished with 11.
With the win, the Celtics improved to 9-2 and leapfrogged the Sixers (9-3) for first in the Eastern Conference standings. Boston will look to stay hot on the second night of its back-to-back Wednesday in Toronto.
