Paul George Drops 36 as Celtics Topple 76ers in Jaylen Brown Reunion

A homecoming with an edge

PHILADELPHIA — Paul George did not need long to remind his former team exactly what it had given up. In his first game back in Philadelphia since the blockbuster July trade that sent him to Boston, George poured in 36 points and buried six three-pointers to lead the Celtics to a 123-101 road victory over the 76ers on Tuesday night. The win, Boston's fourth in a row, lifted the Celtics to 9-2 and to the top of the Eastern Conference, just ahead of the 76ers at 9-3. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter as Boston pulled away, turning a tense reunion into a comfortable win and a statement about who owns the East right now.

The trade that changed two teams

The backdrop to the evening was the July deal that reshaped both franchises. George, who spent two seasons with the 76ers, was traded to Boston in exchange for Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP. Brown's first game against his former team was one of the most anticipated early-season matchups of the year, and the frost between the two former teammates was visible before the opening tip. Jayson Tatum approached Brown for a greeting, tapping him on the shoulder, but Brown barely acknowledged it. Tatum then shook hands and shared a big hug with LeBron James, now a Philadelphia teammate of Brown's. The chill carried into the game. Brown picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter and was whistled for his fourth early in the second half, never finding a rhythm against the team he once helped lead to a championship.

Boston builds a halftime cushion

The Celtics took control before the break, carrying a 62-51 lead into halftime. George was already rolling, and Boston's ball movement kept finding open shooters all over the floor. The 76ers survived a scare late in the second half when Joel Embiid landed awkwardly and hit the court on a missed layup attempt. The oft-injured big man curled up on the floor while VJ Edgecombe dunked over him, then gingerly ran down the court as the halftime horn sounded. Embiid stayed in the game, but his shooting struggles continued as he finished with 16 points on 2-of-9 shooting. Tyrese Maxey kept Philadelphia in touch with a team-high 24 points, but the 76ers had no answer once Boston's offence found its groove.

George takes over the fourth quarter

If the first three quarters belonged to the occasion, the fourth belonged to George. He scored 14 points in the final period, including a stretch that broke the game open for good. After he sank his fourth three-pointer of the night for a 100-82 lead, George appeared to make a bowling gesture toward the visitors' bench, a playful nod to the crowd that had once cheered him. George finished 6 of 11 from beyond the arc, and Boston as a team made 22 of 49 three-point attempts, shooting 44.9 percent from deep. Payton Pritchard added 18 points and Sam Hauser 12, each knocking down four three-pointers of his own, as the Celtics' depth overwhelmed a Philadelphia side that could not keep up once the shots started falling.

Brown's cold night against his old team

While George shone, Brown endured a night to forget. He finished with just 13 points and a game-high four turnovers, and his minus-27 plus-minus rating was the worst on the floor. Tatum, by contrast, settled into the game and supplied 21 points, eight more than his former teammate, outplaying Brown in the head-to-head battle that had dominated the pregame build-up. Brown went to double-team Tatum about halfway through the fourth quarter, leaving George completely alone for an easy three-pointer that made the score 111-87 and virtually sealed the win. It was George's final triple of the evening, a fitting last word in a game framed all week as a referendum on the trade.

A familiar rivalry with fresh stakes

The meeting carried extra weight because it was the first between the teams since Philadelphia rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win their first-round playoff series last spring. Boston arrived determined to answer that comeback and did so emphatically, winning for the ninth time in ten games and moving into first place in the East. Boston's shooting, depth and composure under the brightest of spotlights all pointed the same way, while Philadelphia, despite Maxey's scoring and a strong start to the season, was left to reckon with a reunion night that belonged entirely to the visitors.

What comes next

Neither team has long to dwell on the result. Boston completes a back-to-back in Toronto on Wednesday, a quick turnaround after an emotional night on the road. The 76ers host the Raptors on Thursday, with a chance to steady themselves and protect their own strong start. For George, the evening was personal and professional at once: a 36-point reminder to the franchise that traded him, delivered in its own building. For Brown, the first reunion is out of the way, and the next meeting will bring its own scrutiny. The trade will be debated all season, but on the first night the two sides met, the verdict on the floor was not close.