George scores 36 in Philadelphia return as Celtics beat 76ers to go top of the East

Paul George went back to Philadelphia on Tuesday 10 November and scored 36 points against the team that traded him, leading the Boston Celtics to a 123-101 win over the 76ers that put them top of the Eastern Conference.

It was the first meeting between the sides since the July 2026 trade that sent George to Boston and Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia. George, who had spent two seasons with the 76ers, made six three-pointers and shot 14-for-22 from the field, including 6-for-11 from deep, according to NBC Sports Boston.

The result was Boston's ninth win in 10 games. NBC Sports Boston reported that the Celtics improved to 9-2 and moved ahead of Philadelphia, now 9-3, for first place in the East.

76ers coach Nick Nurse had expected a big occasion. "I would expect it to be really electric," he said, in comments carried by NBC Sports Boston. "I think this is probably one — maybe the one — that people were circling in the summertime when the schedule came out."

A third-quarter burst settles it

Boston led 62-51 at halftime, but Philadelphia came back. The 76ers tied the game at 76-76 with 3:50 remaining in the third quarter, and at that point the night was in the balance.

It did not stay there for long. Boston closed the quarter on a 15-6 run to lead 91-82 going into the fourth, having hit seven three-pointers in the period.

Then George finished it. Reuters reported that he scored 14 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter. His fourth three-pointer of the night stretched the lead to 100-82, with Philadelphia yet to score in the period.

According to the Associated Press, George appeared to make an obscene gesture near Boston's bench after that shot.

Jayson Tatum added 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting, with six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. He kept his own view of the evening narrow. "I was getting ready for the game, getting ready for the jump ball … trying to get a win," he said, according to NBC Sports Boston.

George, for his part, has spoken warmly about his new surroundings. "I mean, I've been kind of blown away. I think it’s exceeded my expectations since being in Boston," he said, as quoted by NBC Sports Boston. "You never know how much culture is involved, and how much culture changes your outlook on things, and just the effect it has mentally, physically, just being in an environment like Boston presents."

A quiet night for Brown

The other half of the trade had a much harder evening. Brown scored 13 points on 4-for-9 shooting against the Celtics, with five rebounds and two assists, and was minus-27 for the game, the NBC Sports Boston figures showed.

He did not dress it up afterwards. "Credit to the Celtics…they were the better team," Brown said.

Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 24 points, but the 76ers could not match Boston's shooting once the game tilted late in the third quarter. The 22-point margin was a fair reflection of how the final 15 minutes went.

There was also a moment of concern over Joel Embiid. The Associated Press reported that the Philadelphia centre landed awkwardly on a missed layup attempt and was able to run gingerly down the court before halftime.

Embiid came into the game having missed 27 of his previous 30 three-point attempts, according to the AP, which also reported that Philadelphia had declined to play him in back-to-back games.

Toronto next for both

For the standings, the takeaway is simple. Philadelphia began the night ahead of Boston and ended it behind them, beaten at home by the player they sent away in July.

Boston had no time to dwell on it. The Celtics went straight to Toronto to complete a back-to-back against the Raptors on Wednesday 11 November, a game that tipped off at 00:00 UTC on Thursday 12 November.

Philadelphia were scheduled to face the same opponent a day later, hosting the Raptors on Thursday 12 November, which is 00:00 UTC on Friday 13 November. It is the 76ers' first chance to respond, and to start making up the ground they lost to Boston at the top of the East.