4 takeaways as Celtics crush 76ers in convincing Game 1 rout

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4 takeaways as Celtics crush 76ers in convincing Game 1 rout

Brian Robb · MassLive

Sun, Apr 19, 2026 ·

4 min read

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The Celtics took control early in Game 1 of their series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday and did not look back, cruising to a 123-91 victory at TD Garden. Boston takes a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Jayson Tatum set the tone early, scoring 21 of his 25 points in the first half, and Jaylen Brown put the game away with 16 of his game-high 26 points in the third quarter. The Sixers got no closer than 15 points in the second half after Boston built a double-digit lead in the first quarter. After the Sixers showed some resistance in the third quarter, the Celtics pulled away for good with a 10-0 run at the end of the third quarter. Boston led by as many as 35 points in the fourth quarter on their way to the rout.

Six different players finished in double figures for Boston as the team had a balanced scoring night with all five starters finishing in double digits. Neemias Queta overcame foul trouble to score 13 points in first career postseason start.

Tyrese Maxey finished with a team-high 21 points for the Sixers, leading an inefficient night for Philly’s offense. The team shot just 39 percent from the field and 17.4 percent from 3-point range in the defeat.

The Celtics now get a day off before hosting the Sixers for Game 2 at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win on Sunday:

Jayson Tatum puts Celtics in control with dominant first quarter:The star forward talked all week how grateful he was to be able to take part in this postseason and his teammates were feeling the same way early in this one. Tatum stuffed the box score in the first quarter, doing it all for Boston with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists while playing the opening 12 minutes of the game. Tatum also feasted in the interior against a Sixers team lacking strong rim protection as he went 5-of-6 from inside the arc, taking advantage of mismatches in the midrange and at the rim. The sensational start helped Boston nearly double up the Sixers 33-18 in the opening frame, building a double-digit lead they wouldn’t give up for the final three quarters.

Foul trouble for Boston’s front line doesn’t come back to bite:Boston’s frontcourt was perhaps their biggest question mark entering the postseason given the lack of playoff experience among the trio. Foul trouble has not been an issue for the past few months for Neemias Queta but it surfaced again in this matchup as Queta was limited to just seven first half minutes due to three fouls. Nikola Vucevic and Luka Garza also both saw extended minutes with Vucevic dealing with some foul trouble as well, giving Boston a chance to see all three bigs in action. Staying disciplined against the Sixers quick guards will be a challenge for this group all series. With the Sixers offense struggling in Game 1, it didn’t matter as all of Boston’s bigs held their own when they were on the floor.

Jaylen Brown erupts in the third quarter:The All-Star shook off an inefficient start in the first half (4-of-12 FG) and put the game away for Boston with a stellar third frame. Brown finished with 16 points in the period on 7-of-9 FG, including both of his 3-point attempts. Brown didn’t get to the free throw line in the frame despite regularly attacking the paint but he still managed to finish well against undersized defenders and subpar rim defenders like Andre Drummond . Brown scored 16 of Boston’s 31 points in the period and helped slam the door on a Philadelphia comeback attempt by sparking a 10-0 run midway through the frame with a hustle steal that led to a 3-point make.

Sixers 3-point shooting had them drawing dead:This wasn’t the perfect outing by the Celtics but Philadelphia isn’t going to have a chance to take a game in this series if they can’t improve their 3-point shooting in both volume and accuracy. Philadelphia got up just 20 3-point attempts in the first three quarters, going a putrid 15 percent from downtown in that stretch. Boston dared the likes of Kelly Oubre Jr. and VJ Edgecombe to beat them from downtown and neither could take advantage of their open looks. With Maxey also struggling with his efficiency from the perimeter, the Celtics look like they have too much firepower to keep up with lackluster scoring options off the bench.

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