Badische Presse - Paul George Scores 36 as Celtics Defeat Sixers 123-101 to Take East Lead

The Boston Celtics secured first place in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 123-101 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The victory shifted the conference standings, moving Boston (9-2) ahead of the Sixers (9-3), who now sit second, half a game back.

Paul George, acquired by Boston in July in the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, led all players with 36 points in his first appearance against his former team. George shot 14 of 22 from the field and 6 of 11 from three-point range in 30 minutes of play. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Noah Levick, George had scored more than 36 points only once during his tenure with the Sixers, recording 39 points in that single game.

The contest remained tightly contested through the first half and early third quarter. The Sixers held a brief 5-4 lead early in the first quarter before trailing 30-23 after one period and 62-51 at halftime. Boston extended its advantage to 16 points in the second quarter, highlighted by three-point shots from Sam Hauser and Hugo Gonzalez.

Philadelphia mounted a comeback in the third quarter. Dean Wade tied the score at 76 with a three-pointer with 4:02 remaining in the period. Tyrese Maxey answered a Payton Pritchard three-pointer with his own to bring the game to a 79-79 tie. However, Boston responded immediately, hitting four consecutive three-pointers in the final 3:02 of the quarter from Pritchard, Hauser, Jayson Tatum, and Baylor Scheierman to take a 91-82 lead into the fourth.

George closed out the game decisively. After Pritchard opened the fourth quarter with two more three-pointers, George scored Boston’s next 14 points in less than four minutes. His scoring burst included three threes and a three-point play, pushing the lead to 111-87 with 5:38 remaining. The Celtics’ advantage reached 29 points, and the Sixers managed only 19 points in the final quarter.

Jayson Tatum added 21 points for Boston, while Pritchard contributed 18 points off the bench. The Celtics shot 51 percent from the field and made 22 of 49 three-pointers.

Maxey led the Sixers with 24 points on 8 of 12 shooting, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Anfernee Simons scored 17 points off the bench, though most of his production came after the outcome was determined. Joel Embiid recorded 16 points, with 11 coming from the free-throw line where he went 11 for 13. He made only 2 of 9 field-goal attempts.

Jaylen Brown, facing Boston for the first time since the trade, scored 13 points in 26 minutes. He spent significant time on the bench due to foul trouble, picking up his second foul in the first quarter and his fourth early in the third. James Harden added 11 points on 4 of 12 shooting, along with eight rebounds and five assists. As a team, the Sixers made 11 of 37 three-pointers (30 percent) and committed 14 turnovers.

There was a moment of concern late in the first half when Embiid fell hard after missing a layup in transition and limped through the final seconds of the half. He started the third quarter and hit a three-pointer on the opening possession. No injury update was available Tuesday night.

The Sixers’ frontcourt depth remains a concern, with Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow, and Ariel Hukporti all listed as injured in recent previews. Maxey played 34 minutes, Embiid 31, and Harden 29, aligning closely with tracked workload averages that had Harden at 32.9 minutes and Embiid at 31.9 minutes per game.

Philadelphia hosts the Toronto Raptors (5-5) on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. ET. The Sixers then face a back-to-back schedule, playing at home against Indiana on Sunday, Nov. 15, and at Brooklyn on Monday, Nov. 16. Boston leads the four-game season series 1-0. Brown is scheduled to return to Boston for his first game there since the trade on Jan. 21.

E.Wagner--BP