New York (AFP) – The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 123-101 to replace Philadelphia at the top of the NBA Eastern Conference as Jayson Tatum outshone his former teammate Jaylen Brown in a much-hyped showdown on Tuesday. Brown’s first regular season clash against the Celtics, the team he called home for a decade, played out against reports of a rift with his 2024 NBA title-winning partner Tatum.
The two men have exchanged cryptic public barbs, apparently disagreeing over Tatum’s knowledge of, or role in, Brown’s shock trade to the Sixers. Tatum greeted Brown moments before tip-off but was seemingly blanked, and the game began in a feisty fashion, with a fired-up Brown making two steals but conceding two fouls in the opening minutes. Brown was ultimately restricted to just 13 points on a frustrating night, while Tatum scored 21.
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“No game is bigger than the other, definitely in the regular season, you know — it’s one game,” said Tatum. “The hoopla is over, and now we get all ready for tomorrow.” The Celtics took an early lead as the Philadelphia crowd booed Tatum’s every move. As the game settled into its rhythm, it was veteran Paul George, who moved from Philadelphia to Boston as part of the Brown package, who dominated. George racked up 36 points, including six three-pointers.
In the third quarter, Tatum soared above LeBron James for a driving dunk, but Philadelphia leveled the game at 79-79 with a monster three-pointer from Tyrese Maxey. Boston regrouped and raced out of sight down the final stretch, with George paying credit to Tatum for soaking up the opposition’s focus. “Obviously, JT demands so much attention. Playing off him has allowed me to get a lot of easy opportunities,” he said.
Boston (9-2) moved to the top of the East with a fourth straight win, while Philadelphia fell to 9-3. Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers ended Oklahoma City’s four-game streak with a score of 123-103, despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 26 points. Portland erupted in the third quarter, led by Damian Lillard’s 25 points and Deni Avdija’s 24. “We came out the second half trying to be more and more aggressive, and we just made shots,” said Avdija. “We have a young squad, aggressive, hungry…we’re not scared of anybody,” he added.
The defending champion New York Knicks thrashed the struggling Milwaukee Bucks 117-85, with Jalen Brunson scoring 23 and Karl-Anthony Towns contributing 21 points and 16 rebounds. The Bucks slumped to 1-10, having lost Giannis Antetokounmpo in the summer. The Celtics had attempted to trade Brown for Antetokounmpo, who instead moved to the Miami Heat, while Brown ended up in Philadelphia. Antetokounmpo scored 30 points, with 11 rebounds and four assists, as Miami beat the Utah Jazz 115-109.
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