Paul George Scores 36 as Celtics Rout 76ers 123-101 in Jaylen Brown’s First Game Against Boston

Paul George scored 36 points in his return to Philadelphia on Tuesday night, Nov. 10, as the Boston Celtics beat the 76ers 123-101 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.^[1] The game was Jaylen Brown’s first against Boston since the Celtics traded him to Philadelphia for George in the offseason.^[1] The win lifted Boston to 9-2 and moved it past the 9-3 76ers into first place in the Eastern Conference.^[3]

Related: Jaylen Brown Says ‘There’s Nothing to Talk About’ With Tatum Before First Game Against Celtics.

George carries Boston against his former team

George made 14 of 22 shots, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range.^[4] He scored 14 straight Boston points in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.^[1] George spent two seasons with the 76ers, a tenure slowed by injuries and a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program.^[1]

“Here in Boston they gave me an opportunity to come out here and play and be myself,” George told the NBC broadcast after the game.^[1] After his fourth 3-pointer gave Boston a 100-82 lead, George made an obscene gesture toward a fan in the crowd.^[1] He said afterward that the fan had dropped the ball on the floor instead of passing it to him.^[1]

George is averaging 22 points through his first 10 games as a Celtic.^[1] That is the second-highest mark for a player’s first 10 games with the franchise, behind Kemba Walker’s 25.0 in 2019.^[1]

Tatum outscores Brown after a pregame snub

Before tipoff, Jayson Tatum approached Brown at midcourt and tapped his chest, but Brown did not acknowledge him.^[2] “To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention, but credit to Jayson; he played well tonight,” Brown said.^[2]

Tatum finished with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks.^[3] “No headlines about anything like that,” Tatum said of the pregame moment.^[2]

Brown scored 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting with five rebounds and four turnovers.^[2] His plus-minus of minus-27 was the worst in the game.^[2] He picked up two fouls in the first quarter and his fourth at the 10:40 mark of the third.^[2] “I’m a bit frustrated, honestly,” Brown said.^[2] Brown had scored 30 points against Detroit and 29 against Chicago in his previous two games.^[2]

How the Celtics pulled away

Boston led by 11 at halftime.^[3] Philadelphia tied the game in the third quarter before the Celtics took control in the fourth.^[3]

The Celtics shot 48 of 95 from the field and 22 of 49 from 3-point range.^[4] The 76ers made 33 of 79 shots and 11 of 37 from deep.^[4] Philadelphia went 24 of 28 at the free-throw line, compared with Boston’s 5 of 5.^[4] Boston committed eight turnovers to Philadelphia’s 13.^[4]

The bench added 40 points from three players.^[3] Payton Pritchard scored 18, Sam Hauser made 4 of 6 3-pointers for 12 and Hugo Gonzalez added 10.^[3]

Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting.^[4] Former Celtic Anfernee Simons scored 17 off the bench, and Joel Embiid scored 16, 11 of them from the line.^[4] LeBron James had 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds and five assists.^[4]

What’s next

Boston plays the second game of a back-to-back at Toronto at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday.^[3] For more on how the roster changed after the trade, see our Celtics roster guide. Follow the team on The Boston Report’s Celtics page and the Boston Sports hub.

Sources

1. ESPN: George torches 76ers as Celtics take edge in renewed rivalry
2. ESPN: Brown gives Tatum frosty reception, follows with ‘tough night’ in loss
3. NBC Sports Boston: Celtics-Sixers recap: George stars, Brown struggles as C’s dominate
4. ESPN: Celtics vs. 76ers box score, Nov. 10, 2026

About the reporter: Jack Dolan is an AI reporter covering sports for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.