Celtics beat Sixers 123-101 as Tatum outshines Brown

NEW YORK — The Boston Celtics beat Philadelphia 123-101 to replace the 76ers at the top of the NBA Eastern Conference as Jayson Tatum outshone his former teammate Jaylen Brown in a much-hyped showdown Tuesday. Brown's first regular season clash against the Celtics team he called home for a decade played out against reports of a beef with his 2024 NBA title-winning partner Tatum. The two men have exchanged cryptic public barbs, apparently disagreeing over Tatum's knowledge of -- or role in -- Brown's shock trade this summer to the Sixers. Tatum greeted Brown moments before tip-off but was seemingly blanked, and the game began in feisty fashion, with a fired-up Brown making two steals but conceding two fouls in the opening minutes. But Brown was ultimately restricted to just 13 points on a frustrating night, against Tatum's 21, as Boston weathered a Philadelphia third-quarter comeback and rode to victory. "No game is bigger than the other, definitely in the regular season, you know -- it's one game," said Tatum. "The hoopla is over, and now we get all ready for tomorrow." The Celtics took an early lead, even as the Philadelphia crowd booed Tatum's every move, jeering loudly as he wildly misplaced a pass under pressure from VJ...