Jayson Tatum didn’t need to say much before his first meeting with Jaylen Brown as opponents. He let the game do the talking.
The Boston Celtics rolled past the Philadelphia 76ers 123-101 on Tuesday night in Philadelphia, and the matchup everyone circled ended up tilting Tatum’s way. Brown had been the one doing the talking beforehand, telling his former teammate to “stay ready at all times,” but the on-court numbers told a different story.
NBA tracking data shared by Dan Greenberg showed Tatum defending Brown on 10 possessions, the most on Boston. Brown didn’t score on those chances, going 0-for-1, and Tatum forced a turnover. On the other side, Brown guarded Tatum for 11 possessions, the third-most on Philadelphia, and Tatum scored four points while going 2-for-2 with no turnovers forced by Brown.
That made the head-to-head stretch a clean win for Tatum on both ends.
Tatum finished with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Brown ended with 13 points, five rebounds, and two assists, but his minus-27 was the worst mark in the game. He also struggled to make much of an impact as Boston pulled away in the fourth quarter.
The night still belonged to former Sixers star Paul George, who led the way with 36 points. But the first showdown between Tatum and Brown after their blockbuster separation was the storyline that carried the most heat going in, especially after Brown took a shot at Tatum’s public relations team and doubled down on his “stay ready” message.
Tatum never leaned into a feud, but he answered where it mattered. Boston didn’t need a one-on-one statement to beat Philadelphia, and it didn’t get one from Brown. The Celtics won by 22, moved ahead of the Sixers in the Eastern Conference standings, and walked out with the last word.
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