NBA19 hours ago2 minute read

Celtics Down 76ers and Mock Brown in First Meeting

Boston beat Philadelphia 123-101 in Jaylen Brown's first game against Jayson Tatum, trolling their former star after the win.

The EagleEyeOdds deskWritten from the match data, checked against our model before it goes out

A cold reunion in Philadelphia

The Boston Celtics handled business against Jaylen Brown and the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, cruising to a comfortable 123-101 road win. It was the first meeting between Brown and Jayson Tatum since Boston traded the 2024 Finals MVP to Philadelphia in July.

The former teammates shared only a cold interaction at the opening tipoff. On the court, Tatum outscored Brown 21-13 to help Boston pull away. Paul George, who arrived in Boston through the July trade that sent Brown to Philadelphia along with two first and second round picks, led all scorers with 36 points on the night.

Social media trolling and trade fallout

Boston did not stop at controlling the scoreboard. After the victory, the Celtics social media account poked fun at Philadelphia with a post captioned, "Threw the ball up."

That caption took aim directly at Brown and his new team. Philadelphia uses the slogan for promotion, and Brown had used the phrase on social media after the trade and when LeBron James signed with Philadelphia in July. Before Tuesday, Brown said there was nothing to talk about with Tatum, adding that Tatum was on his side and both men were just trying to win.

Tatum and Brown played together for nine seasons and won a championship, forming one of the top pairs in basketball. Yet tension has simmered since the move. Tatum claimed on his YouTube channel that the trade caught him off guard. Brown responded online with a blue hat emoji, slang for calling someone a liar, and added that Tatum has a hell of a PR team. Brown also joked that there might be a little lamb chops and gravy between them. Brown visits Boston in January, giving the Celtics the upper hand for now.

What it means for the next game

Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors (NBA, Thu, 12 Nov): Toronto Raptors win 31%, Boston Celtics win 69%; projected score Toronto Raptors 106, Boston Celtics 111. Our safest pick: Celtics to win.

Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers (NBA, Fri, 13 Nov): Philadelphia 76ers win 42%, Toronto Raptors win 58%; projected score Philadelphia 76ers 113, Toronto Raptors 115. Our safest pick: Raptors +6.5.