Boston beatdown: Celtics school Sixers in Game 1 blowout

BOSTON — In a pregame meeting with the media, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla was serious, precise and quick to the point in answering a question about his team before they faced the Sixers in Game 1. He took all of about 35 seconds on the podium before abruptly ending the get together.

Not long after, his team mirrored their coach. The Celtics were serious from the opening tap, precise enough to make nine of their first 13 shots in opening a big lead early, and deposited the Sixers in rapid fashion, taking a dominating 123-91 decision and a 1-0 lead in the first round playoff series. Game 2 will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. 

"The message internally has been the same however long I've been with the Celtics," Mazzulla said. "Just have to be consistent with things that lend to winning. Understand that there's highs, there's lows. Stay consistent to the process of winning. Stick together, and results take care of themselves. We've been very consistent in our messaging."

And the Celtics hear it loud and clear. They scored from all over the floor and took advantage of whatever advantages they could find, and they found a lot. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 26 points and Jason Tatum collected 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Tatum scored 21 of his points in the first half when the Celtics built a 64-46 lead.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 21 points, though he shot just 8-for-20, including 1-for-4 from three. Paul George scored 17, while VJ Edgecombe added 13 and Kelly Oubre, Jr. 10.

And while the Celtics were comfortable most of the day on the offensive side of the floor, they never allowed the Sixers to have that same feeling, especially early on in the contest. The Sixers shot 6-for-21 (29 percent) including 1-for-9 from three in the first quarter, and trailed by 15 after one. It got progressively worse and ended with Celtics fans mocking Sixers fans by chanting "We want Boston." 

Sixers fans chanting “We Want Boston.” 👀

(via @JClarkNBCS)

pic.twitter.com/cihdfiyZAU

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 16, 2026

Boston executes throughout the course of a game as well as any team in the league. Its halfcourt sets are pristine, the running game sharp and it will take advantage of each and every mistake an opponent presents. For evidence, towards the end of the first, Kelly Oubre, Jr. missed a corner three with six seconds to go. Tatum corralled the rebound, threw it out to Jordan Walsh for a reverse layup just before the buzzer. The Sixers were just a half second late getting back, and the result was an easy basket to end the first frame.

"They are really an excellent defensive team, it really impacts their offense," said Nick Nurse. "There's a couple things. You've got to try to hit them early and keep them away from the ball, and securing rebounds, because a lot of time they're going to kick it right back out for a three. But one of the things they also do really well is just keep it alive and turn a rebound into a loose ball and they seem really good in their anticipation and timing and hustle and quickness in getting to those loose balls. We have to try to keep them from getting their hands on it and if it turns into a loose ball we've got to win our share of those."

When playing a team as good and cohesive as the Celtics, things really have to go according to plan when you're the opposition. The Sixers got knocked off kilter quickly on Sunday, as starting center Adem Bona picked up his second foul less than three minutes into the game and his backup, Andre Drummond got his second with 4:39 to go in the first. The team had to finish the quarter with undersized Dominick Barlow playing in the middle. 

Open shots rarely fell for the Sixers, from near or far. And Boston shot so well throughout the day that getting out and running was practically impossible. The Sixers starters shot just 24-for-61 from the floor (39.3 percent), including 2-for-16 from three-point range. Boston starters, on the other hand, made 33 of their 59 attempts for 55.9 percent, including 9-for-22 from three.

"We want to run opportunistically if it's there," said Nurse. "Usually when a team is sending so many people to the glass, hopefully if you can secure some of those rebounds, you can open up some transition baskets. Playoff basketball doesn't usually lend itself to too many transition baskets, so we have to play at a pace where we can create good shots."

At times they were there. Nurse's team just couldn't make them on any kind of consistent basis. Now comes the difficult task of almost having to win on Tuesday in order to be able to perhaps make the series competitive.