Jaylen Brown had 29 points and eight rebounds, Jayson Tatum added 28 points and 12 rebounds and the Boston Celtics blitzed the host Philadelphia 76ers 135-87 on Tuesday.
Aaron Nesmith contributed 18 points, Grant Williams scored 12 and Derrick White had 11 for the red-hot Celtics, who won their ninth game in a row.
The Celtics hit 25 of 45 from 3-point range.
The Sixers played for the third consecutive game without James Harden, who was acquired Thursday from the Brooklyn Nets for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first round draft picks. Harden will be sidelined through the All-Star break with a strained hamstring.
Paul Millsap, also picked up by the Sixers, made his debut to open the fourth quarter, and he scored nine points in nine minutes.
Joel Embiid, who sat out the fourth, led the Sixers with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Embiid’s streak of scoring at least 25 points ended at 23 straight.
Tyrese Maxey added 11 for the Sixers.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart was helped off the court with 5:15 remaining in the second quarter due to an apparent ankle injury. Smart came back to shoot the free throws before leaving again for good.
Brown dropped in a deep 3-pointer from the wing with 4:34 left in the half for a 58-31 Boston lead.
Brown hit his fifth trey (on five tries) with one-tenth of a second to go and the Celtics closed the first half with a 69-42 advantage. Brown led the way with 26 points.
Embiid paced the Sixers with 17 in the half, which Philadelphia ended with four straight turnovers.
The Celtics came out aggressive in the third and moved ahead 75-44 on a 3-pointer by Al Horford. On Boston’s next possession, Brown scored in the lane, and the lead was 33.
Maxey snapped the 8-0 run with a jumper, but the Sixers’ frustration was evident and Danny Green was whistled for a technical foul.
The Sixers fell behind by 45 and trailed 101-58 at the end of the third.
Even the Celtics’ reserves kept the pressure on as Payton Pritchard hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth for a 115-67 advantage. The lead eventually reached 51.
–Field Level Media