Many had been waiting months for this showdown. From the moment the regular-season schedule was released, 10 November was marked in red as the date Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would come face to face again, a date that generated ever more anticipation as the ins and outs of their relationship came to light. And when the 76ers man ignored his former team-mate during the greeting before tip-off, everything pointed to a night when the sparks would fly.
And they did. Just not where anyone expected.
The Philadelphia crowd learned the hard way that, in true Jesse Plemons style, a good supporting actor can completely overshadow the main plot. And in this case that actor was a Paul George who turned out to be hungrier for revenge than the leading men.
The forward carried a Celtics side that made a statement at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, where they won 101-123 to move top of the Eastern Conference at the expense of a 76ers team that bore no resemblance to the one that had made such a good impression in the opening weeks. No offensive flair, no pace in transition, no defensive aggression… nothing. And against Boston, however much things have changed, that still costs you.
Three at a time
Especially when Mazzulla’s side are on form from the perimeter, as was the case here. The Massachusetts team made 22 of their 49 attempts in a brilliant display from deep, particularly in a second half in which they hit 13 at 50% accuracy. And nobody contributed more to that than the man returning to his old home. One for which he did not seem to feel much affection.
George, who finished with 36 points, scored 14 of them in a row in a prodigious fourth quarter. He started with a three, went on to show his qualities by scoring closer to the basket, and finished with two more long-range shots in a four-minute spell in which he put the game to bed with a 5-14 run. If the contest was already hanging by a thread before he stepped in, it was totally finished off once he did.
Which was a heavy blow for the home side on two counts.
PAUL GEORGE SCORING 14 STRAIGHT IN THE 4Q, UNCUT 🍿 A 36-point return to Philadelphia… @celtics win their 4th in a row and move to #1 in the East! https://t.co/xUg9qxrXCR
— NBA (@NBA) November 11, 2026
Both George’s dominance and the shooting of the supporting cast, with Pritchard and Hauser hitting four threes each, allowed Tatum to have a calmer night, far from the drama that had been expected. The forward started the game with a very good first quarter but faded into the background as the minutes went by, ending on 21 points, as he did not need any more to secure victory for his side. Nor to win the individual duel against Brown.
More to follow
