Celtics roll past 76ers as George pours in 36 in Philly return

Uncategorized Celtics roll past 76ers as George pours in 36 in Philly return November 12, 2026 6 min read Trending PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Jayson Tatum scored 21 points and outplayed former Boston teammate Jaylen Brown, and Paul George hit six 3-pointers and scored 36 points in his return to Philadelphia, leading the Celtics past the 76ers 123-101 on Tuesday night. Brown ran into early foul trouble and scored only 13 points in his first game against Boston since the 2024 NBA Finals MVP was traded over the summer to the Sixers. His head-to-head showdown with Tatum was one of the more anticipated early-season matchups with both players refusing to say much about their frosty relationship. Tatum tried to dap up Brown before the opening tip with a tap on the shoulder and thump on the chest that his former teammate ignored. Tatum shook hands and exchanged a big hug with LeBron James. Brown picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter and was whistled for his fourth early in the second half. George, traded for Brown after two seasons with the 76ers, enjoyed the homecoming. He appeared to give the finger in a bowling motion near the visitor’s bench after he sank his fourth 3 of the game for a 100-82 lead that pushed the Celtics to their ninth win in 10 games. The Sixers survived a scare late in the second half when Joel Embiid landed awkwardly and hit the court on a missed layup attempt. The oft-injured big man curled up on the court while VJ Edgecombe dunked over him. KNICKS 117, BUCKS 85 NEW YORK (AP) -- Jalen Brunson scored 23 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 16 rebounds, and New York beat Milwaukee for its fourth straight victory. OG Anunoby made five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points for the Knicks, who have won six of seven since an 0-3 start. They outscored the Bucks 32-13 in the second quarter to blow open the game and then put it away in the fourth after Milwaukee had gotten back into it. The Knicks got big efforts from their bench, with no starter playing more than 28 minutes on the front end of back-to-back games. Tyler Kolek scored 12 points and provided a spark in the second quarter as the backup to Brunson, Andre Drummond grabbed 14 rebounds in 15 minutes, and Deuce McBride had eight points and New York outscored Milwaukee by 39 while he was on the floor. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 16 points and Ryan Rollins had 14 for the Bucks, who lost their seventh straight and fell to 1-10. They played without leading scorer Tyler Herro, who missed his first game of the season because of a bruised right knee. SUNS 133, CLIPPERS 110 PHOENIX (AP) -- Jordan Goodwin scored 18 points in his return from a calf injury, Devin Booker added 17 and Phoenix cruised past Los Angeles. Phoenix shot 22 of 43 (51%) from 3-point range and had seven players score in double digits, including five who came off the bench. Luke Kennard had 14 points, Jalen Green scored 13 and Collin Gillespie added 12 points and eight assists while Khaman Maluach contributed 11 points and seven rebounds. The Suns had a 17-point halftime lead and pushed the advantage to 91-59 with four minutes left in the third quarter. They have a 3-2 record so far on their season-long, seven-game homestand. Goodwin -- who signed a $19 million, three-year deal to return to the Suns during the offseason -- made 6 of 7 shots from beyond the arc in just 14 minutes. He missed the past three games. The Clippers were coming off their first win in more than two weeks, but have now lost eight of their last nine games. Rui Hachimura, Baba Miller and Darius Garland all scored 13 points while Max Strus had 12. HEAT 115, JAZZ 109 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points, Davion Mitchell added 19 points, and Miami outlasted depleted Utah. The Heat also got 14 from Pelle Larsson but needed late blocks from Klay Thompson and Bam Adebayo to secure their third win in their last four games. Antetokounmpo iced his sprained right wrist in a heavy wrap when he was on the bench but it didn’t seem to bother him on the court. He shot 12 for 21 and grabbed 11 rebounds. He now has 21,836 points and passed Gary Payton to become the 39th leading scorer in NBA history. Despite the Jazz’s ninth straight loss, Utah’s two teenagers gave the Jazz hope for the future. Rookie Darryn Peterson nearly set his career high (26) for the second game in a row with 25 points and Ace Bailey scored 23. Utah’s Isaiah Collier, a notoriously poor shooter who had not made a 3-pointer this season, made four consecutive shots from behind the arc in the fourth quarter to cut Miami’s lead to 101-93. Then Svi Mykhailiuk made back-to-back baskets to cut the lead to 112-107 in the final minute but it was too late for the Jazz, who were missing four starters to injury -- Lauri Markkanen (wrist), Keyonte George (ankle), Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), and Jusuf Nurkic (foot). MAGIC 107, KINGS 100 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Franz Wagner had a season-high 33 points with seven rebounds and seven assists, Anthony Black scored 26 and Orlando beat Sacramento to snap a four-game losing streak. Wagner, who had 30 points and 11 assists in a 126-119 loss to Golden State on Saturday, made 10 of 21 from the field and 10 of 10 from the free-throw line. Black had seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Sacramento has lost four straight overall and is 0-6 at home this season. Zach LaVine led the Kings with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 6 of 9 from 3-point range. Darius Acuff Jr. hit four 3-pointers and finished with 29 points. The 19-year-old Acuff has 288 points, the most by any rookie through the first 11 games of a season since Michael Jordan scored 289 for the Chicago Bulls in 1984. Wagner hit a 3 to cap an 18-5 run that made it 52-43 with 3:10 remaining in the second quarter and the Magic led the rest of the way. TRAIL BLAZERS 123, THUNDER 103 PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Damian Lillard scored 25 points and Portland snapped a two-game skid with a victory over Oklahoma City. Deni Avdija added 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Blazers in the first of back-to-back home games against Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points on 8-of-22 shooting for the Thunder, who had won four straight. Gilgeous-Alexander also grabbed eight rebounds but missed all four of his 3-point attempts and did not play in the fourth quarter. The Thunder are without several key players because of injuries, including Jalen Williams (ankle), Chet Holmgren (knee) and Cason Wallace (shoulder). Jaylin Williams missed his fourth game with back spasms. Oklahoma City, coming off a 114-75 victory over Washington on Saturday, acquired guard/forward Nique Clifford from Sacramento on Sunday. Clifford came off the bench and made his Thunder debut to start the second quarter. He scored on a reverse layup early in the fourth.