Celtics Blow Out 76ers 123-101 as Jaylen Brown Struggles in First Game Against Former Team

The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 123-101 on Tuesday night behind a strong performance from Jayson Tatum.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 123-101 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Tuesday night. Jayson Tatum led the winning effort while former teammate Jaylen Brown struggled in his first game against Boston since being traded. Brown finished the contest with 13 points, five rebounds, and four turnovers, recording a game-worst minus-27 rating.

During pregame warmups, Brown and Tatum kept their distance. Before the tipoff, Tatum attempted to dap up Brown at midcourt, but Brown gave him the cold shoulder, ignoring the gesture to spin a basketball. Tatum subsequently shook hands with 76ers forward LeBron James instead. Brown had stated days prior that he did not plan to speak to Tatum, noting there was "nothing to talk about" regarding their nine-year tenure together in Boston.

Brown’s performance was hampered by early foul trouble, marking his first game this season with multiple fouls in the first quarter. He picked up his first foul on Tatum and a second for charging into Derrick White. By the 10:40 mark of the third quarter, Brown had reached four fouls. This followed a stretch where he had scored 30 points against Detroit and 29 points against the Bulls.

In the first quarter, Brown lost the ball out of bounds on a spin move while matched up against Tatum. Following the 22-point loss, 76ers coach Nick Nurse noted that Brown had a "tough night." Tatum declined to address the hype surrounding the matchup postgame, stating he was focused on competing and securing the win.