Jayson Tatum scored 35 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Boston Celtics rolled past the depleted Philadelphia 76ers 123-105 on Thursday night.
Tatum recorded his 24th game of the season with at least 30 points despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter. Boston improved to 45-18 and remains second in the Eastern Conference after winning for the ninth time in 11 games.
Payton Pritchard contributed 19 points off the bench, while Derrick White added 12 despite having a tooth knocked out in the first half. White returned after halftime and started the third quarter.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led Philadelphia with 27 points, while Lonnie Walker IV chipped in 17. The loss dropped the 76ers to 21-41, keeping them 12th in the East.
Both teams were severely undermanned, with the Celtics missing Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Sam Hauser due to injuries or illness. The 76ers were without key players, including Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Kyle Lowry.
Boston controlled the game from the start, jumping out to a 35-24 lead after the first quarter. The Celtics extended their advantage to 18 points by halftime and never looked back.
Neemias Queta provided a strong effort off the bench, finishing with eight points, nine rebounds, and four assists. He helped seal the victory with six straight points in the fourth quarter, including back-to-back dunks that pushed Boston’s lead to 30.
Tatum picked up his 10th technical foul of the season in the third quarter, moving him closer to the NBA’s automatic one-game suspension threshold at 16.
The Celtics shot 50.5% from the field and 39.6% from three, while the 76ers managed just 42.1% overall. Philadelphia struggled to generate offense without its stars, relying heavily on Oubre, who didn’t receive much support.
