PHILADELPHIA: Paul George scored 36 points against his former team as the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 123-101 on Tuesday, overshadowing Jaylen Brown’s first matchup with Jayson Tatum since their offseason split.
Boston opened the fourth quarter with a 14-0 run, turning a nine-point advantage into a commanding lead. George shot 14-of-22 from the field and made six of his 11 three-point attempts. He added five rebounds as Boston improved to 9-2 and moved into first place in the Eastern Conference.
Tatum contributed 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Meanwhile, Brown struggled to find an offensive rhythm after picking up three first-half fouls.
Brown finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and four turnovers against the team that traded him to Philadelphia during the offseason.
Before tip-off at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Tatum approached his former teammate and tapped him as Brown spun a basketball. Brown did not visibly acknowledge the greeting. However, he later rejected suggestions that he had deliberately ignored Tatum.
“To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention,” Brown told reporters, explaining that he was concentrating on helping his team. He credited Tatum’s performance and acknowledged that Boston had executed better.
The Celtics’ outside shooting reinforced their advantage. Boston made 22 of 49 three-point attempts, while Philadelphia connected on 11 of 37.
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George’s return to Philadelphia therefore produced the game’s strongest individual performance, while Tatum helped Boston win the former teammates’ opening encounter.
Boston next visits the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.
(With additional input from CBS Sports and NBC Boston.)
