PHILADELPHIA - Jaylen Brown thought for a second, but struggled to remember a win in his career.
Brown scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half as the Boston Celtics dominated the Philadelphia 76ers 135-87 on Tuesday night to finish ninth in a row.
"We'll take it," said Brown. "We got to work tonight. It looks good."
Jason Tatum added 28 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who have closed the field in the Eastern Conference with his stellar play of late. Boston moved east in sixth place, four-and-a-half behind Miami. They have won 11 out of 12.
"I love the determination of what we're doing," said Boston coach Ime Udoka.
The victory margin was the largest by the Celtics over Philadelphia in a rivalry played 457 times. Boston's previous biggest win was a 124–87 loss to Philadelphia on December 20, 1987.
Joel Embiid had 19 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers. Embiid, the NBA's leading scorer, who entered the competition averaging 29.5 points, had at least 25 games to finish 31 in a row.
In their franchise history, the 76ers have suffered only six losses by a greater margin than Tuesday's 48-point.
“They were better in every way: coaching, playing and if there is any other category, they were better in that too,” said 76ers coach Doc Rivers.
James Harden made his first appearance in Philadelphia - but in street clothes. The recently acquired star is recovering from a hamstring injury. Harden is expected to make his 76th debut in Minnesota on February 25.
Earlier on Tuesday, Philadelphia introduced Harden at a press conference at the team's training center in Camden, New Jersey, after last week's blockbuster trade that sent disgruntled guard Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets. Harden applauded as he came on the court unannounced during the pregame warmup, and the arena erupted when he rang the formal Liberty Bell before the home introduction.
The 76ers certainly could have used the 10-time All-Star, three-time scoring winner and former MVP during the game. His first personal look at his new teammates came in his worst game of the season.
Boston beat Philadelphia in the opening 24 minutes to take a 27-point halftime lead. It got worse for Philadelphia in the second half.
"We are playing better overall, clicking better as a unit," Tatum said. "We just had to be ready by the jump."
The Celtics did something wrong to start the first half, taking 22 of 39 shots and calming the already frenzied crowd. Brown made all five of his three-point attempts and Tatum added 16 at the break.
The 76ers found little life on Embiid's jumper that left him within 58-41 with 2:26 before half-time, resulting in a Celtics timeout and Harden - wearing a long pink blazer with cut-up jeans and yellow sleeves To call the crowd loudly by raising both arms up.
But Boston closed the half by scoring 11 of the last 12, capped by Brown's 3-pointer on the buzzer, which propelled him to the locker room and the Celtics to a 69-42 ahead dance.
The Celtics took the lead as 51 in the second half, with foul play from disgruntled home fans.
Instructor room
Celtics: Marcus Smart is off the court after being hurt on a drive into the basket with 5:15 in the second quarter. He appeared to injure his right ankle while stepping on Embiid's foot and did not apply any pressure to the ankle while helping him return to the bench. He stayed briefly in the game to shoot free throws, before heading to the locker room and not returning. ... didn't play Robert Williams III (right calf tightness). Williams entered Tuesday with an average of 10.0 points and a team-best 9.7 rebounds. He will be assessed on Wednesday to determine his position for the night game versus Detroit.
76ers: Embiid played again with a bandage wrapped around his right wrist. He has heavily wrapped his wrists since his last two matches in Philadelphia, although he has minimized injury. ... Harden missed his last four games with the Nets due to a hamstring injury and has not played in any of the three tournaments since the 76ers' takeover on February 10, although he did attend practice on Monday and Tuesday. . He will also sit out Thursday's game in Milwaukee.
Tip-ins
Celtics: Derrick White, who played in his third game with Boston, had 11 points after a trade with San Antonio. ... improved 14-15 on the road. ... the teams tied two each in a four-game season series. Boston split a pair of home games, losing 108–103 on December 20 and winning 88–87 on December 1. Philadelphia recorded a 111–99 home win on January 14.
76ers: Philadelphia's biggest defeat of all time was a 56-point loss on January 2, 1993. ... 28.7% (23 out of 80) shots from the field. ... The previous biggest margin of Philadelphia's loss this season was a 35-point loss to Utah on November 10. Embiid was not in the lineup for that game, and his worst loss with his star Big Man before Tuesday was a 22-point home loss to the Jazz on December 9. ... Veteran Paul Milsap, who was part of the deal that brought Harden to Philadelphia, started the fourth quarter and finished with nine points.
Next
Celtics: Wednesday Night Host Detroit.
76ers: Thursday night in Milwaukee.