Paul George scored 36 points and hit six three-pointers against his former team in Philadelphia, overshadowing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as the Boston Celtics defeated the 76ers 123-101 on Tuesday night.
George shot six of 11 from beyond the arc, anchoring two scoring runs that put the game out of reach. ESPN Deportes reported that the nine-time All-Star has taken on a heavier offensive workload in Boston than he carried during his two seasons in Philadelphia.
“I perform better when I have more weight on my game; this is not a criticism of the opportunities I had here in Philadelphia. To be honest, I wasn’t in physical condition to take on the workload in which I perform best,” George told NBC after the game, as detailed by ESPN Deportes.
“But here in Boston they have given me the opportunity to step out on the court, play and be myself.”
Paul George looks back at his time in Philadelphia with appreciation: “Outside of that, it’s just a normal game.” @CLNSMedia pic.twitter.com/bcqDEVYTND
Tatum finished with 21 points for Boston. Brown ran into early foul trouble, picking up two quick fouls in the first quarter and his fourth shortly after halftime on his way to 13 points.
The matchup marked Brown’s first game against Boston since the 2024 NBA Finals MVP was traded to the Sixers over the summer. George capped his night by making an obscene gesture toward a fan in the stands after hitting his fourth triple to push Boston’s lead to 100-82.
“There was a fan who was acting like a jerk,” George said. “The ball rolled toward him; he stared me right in the eyes and dropped it on the floor, as if I were a dog being thrown something to go fetch. Instead of passing me the ball like any normal fan would… well, I responded by showing him the middle finger.”
Philadelphia endured a scare before halftime when Joel Embiid fell hard after missing a drive to the basket. Embiid finished the half hunched over as the Celtics carried a 62-51 lead into the break.
Pritchard on Paul George's emotions coming back to Philadelphia: "He said he's returned to 4 different teams before. He's used to this. It's nothing new to him." @CLNSMedia | Q: @Ky_Carlin pic.twitter.com/mE13HKsFW0
Embiid, a two-time NBA scoring champion, has struggled with his shooting this season, hitting just two points after missing all nine of his field goal attempts last Friday in Cleveland. Before that game, he had missed 27 of his previous 30 three-point attempts, a stretch that included 20 misses in a row.
He missed two three-point shots in the first half of Tuesday’s game before making his first triple since the team’s second game of the season at the start of the second half.
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 24 points, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Paul George discussed being back in Philadelphia with the Celtics to face the Sixers. 🏀 ⬇️https://t.co/vD2I3u39N5
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