Paul George led Boston to a rout in Philadelphia in his first game against the team that traded for Jaylen Brown. Brown fought foul trouble all night in the first look at the offseason swap between the two clubs.

Paul George needed one night to win the first round of his reunion with Jaylen Brown. In the first meeting since the offseason trade that swapped the two wings, George was the best player on the floor as Boston beat Philadelphia 123-101 on Tuesday.

The 76ers rarely had control. They held the lead only once, by a single point in the first quarter.

George turned a close game into a rout

Early in the fourth, George took over. During Boston’s opening burst of the period, he scored eight points in a row, and the margin grew to 23.

He finished plus-17 in 30 minutes, the best mark among Boston’s starters. Jayson Tatum added 21 points.

The Celtics did their damage from deep and near the rim. They made 22 three-pointers to Philadelphia’s 11 and outscored the Sixers 46-32 in the paint.

Philadelphia stayed within range at the line. The Sixers attempted 28 free throws to Boston’s five. Tyrese Maxey led them with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

The night carried tension beyond the scoreboard. Brown snubbed Tatum before tipoff. Embiid had an injury scare after landing awkwardly late in the first half.

Foul trouble kept Brown from settling in

Brown never found a rhythm against his old team. He picked up two fouls in the first quarter. His fourth came with 10:40 left in the third.

He also committed four turnovers and played just under 26 minutes. His plus-minus was the worst of anyone in the game.

It was a sharp turn from his last outing. Two days earlier, Brown scored 29 points in a 127-121 win over Chicago. Boston arrived on a high note of its own, winning 117-97 at Milwaukee as George scored 27.

The 76ers announced the trade on July 6, 2026. Philadelphia acquired Brown from Boston in exchange for George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

Brown arrived as one of the league’s top scorers. He averaged a career-high 28.7 points per game in 2025-26, fourth-best in the NBA and the most of any Eastern Conference player. One night does not settle a deal of that size. But George, not Brown, looked like the difference-maker on Tuesday.

This was the first of four meetings between the teams this season. They meet next on January 21 in Boston, then on February 7 in Philadelphia and March 7 back in Boston.