Paul George scored 36 points and hit six 3-pointers in his return to Philadelphia on Tuesday night, leading the Boston Celtics to a 123-101 win over the 76ers. His performance overshadowed the highly anticipated matchup between former teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
George, who was traded to Boston for Brown after two seasons with Philadelphia, finished 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. He keyed two separate runs that helped the Celtics pull away. The nine-time All-Star has taken on more offensive responsibility in Boston, averaging more points and more shot attempts through 10 games than he did last season with the Sixers.
George Embraces Bigger Role
George credited his expanded role for his production. “I’m a little bit better with more usage, and that’s no knock to how my opportunities here with Philly, you know, quite frankly I wasn’t healthy to take on the workload that I feel I’m at my best at,” George said after the game on the NBC broadcast. “But here in Boston they gave me an opportunity to come out here and play and be myself.”
Tatum finished with 21 points. Brown ran into early foul trouble and still scored 13 points in his first game against Boston since the 2024 NBA Finals MVP was traded to the Sixers over the summer. Brown picked up two fouls in the first quarter and was whistled for his fourth early in the second half. Both players declined to say much about their frosty relationship, which made their head-to-head showdown one of the most anticipated early-season matchups.
George Makes Strong Start in Boston
George is averaging 22 points per game this season, the second-most by any player in their first 10 games as a Celtic in franchise history.
He also enjoyed his homecoming in Philadelphia. After sinking his fourth 3-pointer of the game to give Boston a 100-82 lead, George gave a 76ers fan a middle finger in a bowling motion. “There was a fan being an a–hole,” George explained after the game. “Ball rolled to him, he looked me dead in my eyes, dropped the ball on the ground as if like I’m a dog to go fetch or go get it. Instead of passing the ball to me like a normal fan would do, and so yeah, so then I rolled him a middle finger in return.”
In the fourth quarter, George scored 14 straight points to put the game out of reach for Philadelphia. The performance capped an excellent start to his Celtics career, which followed a tenure in Philadelphia derailed by injuries and a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program.
Despite the attention on Tatum and Brown, George said he did not feel pressure to make a statement. “Nah, my job was just to come in and support Jayson Tatum and, you know, be the best version that I could be for him,” he said. “That was my only focus.”