PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Boston turned the first meeting between Jayson Tatum and former teammate Jaylen Brown into a lopsided night, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 123-101 on Tuesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Paul George, who went to Boston in the offseason deal that sent Brown to Philadelphia, did the most damage against his old club. He led everyone with 36 points, hitting 14 of his 22 shots and making 6 of 11 tries from deep.
Tatum added 21 points with six boards, four assists and two blocked shots. He had 11 of those points in the opening quarter, when the Celtics built a 30-23 cushion.
Brown picked up three fouls before halftime and never found a rhythm, ending with 13 points, five rebounds and four turnovers. The two former All-NBA partners did not greet each other before the opening tip, and Brown said afterward he had been locked in on his own team rather than ignoring anyone.
Philadelphia rallied from 13 down in the third quarter to pull even at 76, but Boston pulled away with its outside shooting and stretched the margin to 25. The Celtics made 22 of 45 threes and shot just over 50 percent overall, while the 76ers hit 11 of 37 from beyond the arc.
Boston had dangled Brown in offseason talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was dealt to Miami instead, before shipping Brown to Philadelphia.
Tyrese Maxey paced Philadelphia with 24 points. Joel Embiid managed 16 points on 2-of-9 shooting, and LeBron James finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
The win lifted Boston to 9-2, moving the Celtics ahead of 9-3 Philadelphia for the top record in the Eastern Conference.
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