BOSTON — — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 35 points and the Boston Celtics opened the new NBA season by beating the Philadelphia 76ers 126-117 on Tuesday night (18). The recap, box scores, and video highlights of the season opener.
Tatum, who shot 13-of-20 from the field, also added 12 rebounds and four assists, while Brown went 14-of- 24 from the field and had three rebounds and two steals in the win on a night the team honored the legacy of the great legend Bill Russell.
Malcolm Brogdon ended with 16 points and fellow reserve Grant Williams scored 15 off the bench, while Marcus Smart finished with 14 points and seven assists for the Celtics (1-0).
James Harden scored 35 points, which was his most since joining the 76ers last season. He went 12 of 12 from the free-throw line, had five 3-pointers and added eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the way in the defeat.
Joel Embiid added 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, Tyrese Maxey finished with 21 points and Tobias Harris scored 18 points with three steals for Philadelphia (0-1).
http://gty.im/1057940440The Boston Celtics took control of the game when the defending Eastern Conference champions took a 110-97 lead with 8 minutes to play and never trailed again.
As a team, Boston shot 56.1% from the field on 46-of-82 shooting with 36 rebounds and 24 assists.
The Celtics are being led by interim coach Joe Mazzulla, who grabbed a victory in his debut after being handed the task of leading the team following Ime Udoka’s suspension for the season following an investigation by a law firm that found he committed multiple violations of team policies.
“It was a proud moment,” Mazzulla said. “I think at the end of the game, the ‘Let’s go Celtics! ‘chant — we picked up right where we left off. … When they’re cheering for you, you’re doing something right.”
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers shot 50.0% from the field overall on 40-of-80 shooting from the floor.