The Boston Celtics delivered a commanding 123-101 road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, November 10, as Paul George led the way with an outstanding performance against his former team. However, the highly anticipated matchup also attracted attention because of the frosty reunion between Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
George finished with 36 points, including six three-pointers on 11 attempts, to lead Boston to an important Eastern Conference victory. He was particularly effective in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points during a decisive stretch that helped the Celtics pull away from Philadelphia.
The game also marked the first meeting between the teams since their dramatic first-round playoff series last spring. Philadelphia had rallied from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate Boston, making Tuesday’s contest an important early-season test for both sides.
Much of the pregame attention centered on Brown and Tatum. Brown appeared to give Tatum a cold reception before tipoff, barely acknowledging his former teammate’s greeting. The exchange added another layer of intrigue to an already closely watched matchup.
Brown struggled to make a significant impact on the court, finishing with 13 points and a game-high four turnovers. Tatum, meanwhile, contributed 21 points and helped Boston maintain control throughout much of the contest.
The Celtics established an early advantage, taking a 30-23 lead after the first quarter. Tatum scored 11 points in the opening period as Boston began finding its rhythm from beyond the three-point line.
Boston continued its strong perimeter shooting in the second quarter, making five additional three-pointers. George contributed two shots from long range during the period, helping the visitors take a 62-51 advantage into halftime.
Philadelphia responded after the break, shooting efficiently in the third quarter and connecting on five of its 10 attempts from three-point range. Tyrese Maxey briefly brought the Sixers level at 79-79 with a three-pointer with 3:19 remaining in the period.
However, Boston quickly regained control. The Celtics closed the third quarter with a 12-3 run, receiving three-pointers from Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Tatum and Baylor Scheierman to take a 91-82 lead into the final quarter.
Pritchard continued the momentum by opening the fourth quarter with two consecutive three-pointers. George then took over offensively, scoring 14 points in approximately four minutes as Boston extended its advantage to 111-87.
The Celtics eventually built a 29-point lead, leaving Philadelphia with little opportunity to mount another comeback.
Pritchard finished with 18 points, while Hauser added 12 points. Both players made four three-pointers, contributing to Boston’s impressive long-range shooting performance.
Boston converted 22 of its 49 three-point attempts, an outstanding 44.9% success rate. Its offensive efficiency proved difficult for Philadelphia to match throughout the night.
Maxey led the 76ers with 24 points. Joel Embiid added 16 points but struggled with his shooting, making just two of nine attempts from the field. LeBron James also had a relatively quiet performance, recording 11 points on four-of-12 shooting.
With the victory, Boston improved to 9-2, maintaining the best record in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia moved to 9-3 and remained close behind the Celtics in the conference standings.
The result gave Boston an important regular-season win while bringing renewed attention to the developing storyline surrounding Brown and Tatum following their much-discussed reunion.
