
Celtics guard Derrick White shoots while defended by 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. during Thursday’s game in Boston. The Celtics won, 123-105. Charles Krupa/Associated Press
BOSTON — Jayson Tatum had 35 points and seven rebounds and the Boston Celtics powered past the Philadelphia 76ers 123-105 on Thursday night.
It was Tatum’s 24th game this season with at least 30 points, even though he sat out the entire fourth quarter as Boston won for the ninth time in its last 11 games.
Payton Pritchard added 19 points and Derrick White finished with 12 points after having one of his teeth knocked out in the first half when he took an inadvertent elbow. But he returned to start the third quarter.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led the 76ers with 27 points and Lonnie Walker IV added 17.
Both teams were short-handed.
The Celtics played without Jaylen Brown (knee), Jrue Holiday (finger), Al Horford (toe), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Sam Hauser (ankle).
The 76ers were missing Joel Embiid (knee), Paul George (left groin), Eric Gordon (wrist), Kyle Lowry (hip), Tyrese Maxey (back) and Jared McCain (knee).
TAKEAWAYS
76ers: Oubre tried to carry the scoring load on a night when he was surrounded by reserves. But he didn’t get nearly enough help.
Celtics: As Boston gets over some recent ailments, young players continue to have some promising moments. Neemias Queta was scolded by coach Joe Mazzulla after a first-half stint but was mostly solid down the stretch, finishing with eight points, nine rebounds and four assists.
KEY MOMENT
The Celtics led 97-79 heading into the fourth quarter. They then opened the final quarter on a 10-0 run that included six straight points – and back-to-back dunks – by Queta as Boston’s lead grew to 30.
KEY STAT
In the third quarter, Tatum was whistled for his 10th technical foul of the season. That leaves him six away from a one-game suspension.
UP NEXT
The 76ers host Utah on Sunday night. The Celtics host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.