By William Armstead
The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers by a score of 123-91 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo was in full effect and overwhelmed Philadelphia from the opening tip.
Jayson Tatum recorded a double-double with 25 points. 11 rebounds, and seven assists. This was his first playoff game since rupturing his Achilles. Jaylen Brown matched Tatum’s scoring with 26 points of his own.
Boston never trailed in this game and were on fire from three point range, knocking down 16 shots beyond the arc as a team. They led by 18 at halftime.
As for the Sixers, Tyrese Maxey had 21 points and eight assists, with veteran Paul George adding 17. The Sixers were without star Joel Embiid, who is still in recovery from an appendectomy and out indefinitely.
As a team, they shot a very low 17 percent from three point range. Also, big men for the Sixers Adem Bona and Andre Drummond, found themselves in foul trouble early.
Game 2 will be on Tuesday night in Boston at 7 p.m. ET, streaming on Peacock and NBCSN.