The Boston Celtics never trailed, and led by as many as 51 points on Tuesday night, in crushing the Philadelphia 76ers 135-87 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia for their ninth straight win.
Boston (34-25) set the tone early scoring the first seven points of the game and building their lead to as many as 12, which would stand at 10 at the end of the first quarter. The Celtics continued to pour it on in the second, outscoring Philadelphia 37-20 for a 69-42 halftime lead. A three point play by Aaron Nesmith and a basket by Brodric Thomas gave the guests a 51 point bulge twice late in the fourth quarter.
Jaylen Brown had 29 points and Jayson Tatum 28 to lead Boston to the win. Brown had eight rebounds and three assists, while Tatum had 12 boards and dished out six assists. Also scoring in double figures was Nesmith with 18 points, Grant Williams with 12, and Derrick White with 11. The Celtics were dialed in from the three-point arc, as Brown made five, Tatum and G. Williams made four a piece, and Nesmith and Sam Hauser each nailed three. The green shot 56.1% from the floor, and 25-45 (55.6%) from long distance. 10 players hit at least one three-pointer, a new franchise record. Joel Embiid had 19 points and six rebounds in the loss for 34-23 Philadelphia. Boston is back at home Wednesday night to face the Detroit Pistons.
