The Celtics rolled over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 as the dynamic duo was hot right from the start.
The Boston Celtics demoralized the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden, winning 123-91.
With the win, the Celtics are officially off and running in their pursuit of banner No. 19. Game 2 is on Tuesday night, also at TD Garden.
Boston got a deep and balanced performance in the win: Jaylen Brown (26) and Jayson Tatum (25) led the way offensively, but six players scored in double figures in total. The Celtics also out-rebounded the 76ers and committed just eight turnovers.
Boston hit 16 three-pointers while Philadelphia hit just four.
Tatum and Brown also created all kinds of history.
On the Tatum front
--Tatum was 9-of-17 from the floor, but he was only 1-of-7 from three-point range. However, that one put him ahead of Kobe Bryant for the 11th-most three-pointers made in playoff history. Bryant was Tatum's idol growing up, so this milestone is certainly going to be meaningful to him.
--Furthermore, as noted by StatMuse, Tatum is now fifth in Eastern Conference history in 25-point playoff games. Only LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Dwayne Wade have more. Each of those players are Hall of Famers (or will be), meaning Tatum is in select company.
And as for Brown
With his 26-point performance, Brown is now 10th among active players in playoff point scored. Brown has been to the playoffs in each of the 10 years of his career. He helped the Celtics get to the NBA Finals in 2021-22 and he helped them win it in 2023-24.
He added four rebounds and three assists.
Here are some other assorted notes out of Game 1:
Big time disparity from three
The Celtics, who have been heavily reliant on the three-point shot all season, were again on Sunday. They connected for 16 three's in the win on 44 attempts.
Contrast that with the 76ers, who were just 4-of-23.
And the line
We questioned if the Celtics were too reliant on the three and if they weren't able to get to the foul line enough. Well, they did on Sunday, shooting 22 free-throws. Philadelphia shot 23, but the Celtics will take a near-even deadlock.
Game 2
Game 2 will air on Tuesday night on Peacock. Tip-off will be at 7:00 p.m. ET.
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