Celtics vs. Sixers Game 1 Player Grades and Stats: Tatum, Brown Power Blowout Win

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 51 points in a wire-to-wire win over the Sixers in Game 1 of their opening round series. The Boston Celtics came out hot, got past a little hiccup in the third quarter, and smoked the Sixers in just about every way possible on their way to a 123-91 win.

Box Score

Game Flow

The Celtics used an early 7-0 run to build an eight-point lead. They quickly pushed it to 22-9 thanks to some hot shooting while the Sixers opened 1-7 from three. Tyrese Maxey was able to stop the bleeding for a short time, but Tatum was dicing the Sixers from the mid-range, scoring 10 in the first and helping Boston take a 33-18 lead into the second quarter.

With Neemias Queta in foul trouble, Luka Garza got early second quarter minutes and made a quick impact. Baylor Scheierman made a couple of nice plays as well and the Celtics lead grew to 20. The Sixers offense continued to struggle as Brown joined Tatum in double digits, giving this the feel of a regular season game. Boston shot 50% in the first half and Philly only hit two three-pointers as Boston led by 18 at the half.

The Sixers got a little momentum going in the third quarter, but the Celtics fired off a couple of quick three-point makes to get the lead to 21. Jaylen Brown got going, putting up 16 points to get the lead up to 24 heading into the fourth. The Celtics opened the fourth on a 10-4 run to make it a 30-point game.

Player Grades

Jayson Tatum: A (25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steal)

He was in total control from the beginning. His rebounding changes so much about what the Celtics are able to do defensively because he can hang back and clear the boards while bigs play a more aggressive pick-and-roll coverage. Tatum owned the first half offensively, but his rebounding and passing was part of the Celtics extending their lead.

Jaylen Brown: A (26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals)

He started slow with some misses and early fouls, but his third quarter was a masterpiece, starting with a steal and three-pointer when the Sixers were starting to sniff a little momentum. In a game Boston led comfortably most of the way, that play goes down as a clutch one in my book.

This is why you never give up on a play 👇 pic.twitter.com/1nK3IhVjdS
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 19, 2026

Derrick White: A- (10 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, +24)

The +24 was a team-high, and it came because he was incredible on the defensive end. This is the kind of game where I can go back and look at the game film 10 times, and each time find some kind of new wrinkle that he did well. The counting stats don’t jump off the page, but his defense does.

Sam Hauser: A- (12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal)

Hauser did more than go 4-6 from deep, he had seven rebounds and he held his own defensively. Once again, we see opposing wings thinking Hauser is barbecue chicken on a switch only to have Hauser handle his business well enough to make hunting him a not-so-effective tactic. Don’t get me wrong, it will work from time to time, but it’s not the first thing scoring wings should be looking for.

Neemias Queta: B+ (13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block)

Queta got into foul trouble and played just 15 minutes, which he has to fix. The Celtics were playing great with him on the floor, and it’s only because the Sixers are such a mess that we can look past Queta sitting out as much as he did.

But to be clear, this is something he has to fix quickly. I’m looking for that correction to come immediately on Tuesday.

Jordan Walsh: B (5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist)

He didn’t get a ton of time, playing less than 15 minutes in the game. He was solid, getting a few turns on Maxey but that's about all. He did fine, but he wasn’t the primary guy defending him the whole game.

Payton Pritchard: B (12 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal)

Tough shooting night (4-12 overall, 2-9 3pt), but he did dish those six assists, so he brought good energy and was pretty good on defense himself.

Baylor Scheierman: B (5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block)

He played short stints but you could feel his presence on the floor when he was in the game. He checked in in the second quarter, made a floater on the baseline and then blocked a shot on the other end. He brought a ton of energy when he was on the floor.

Nikola Vučević: C+ (3 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists)

His three-pointer in the third quarter was very timely, and he settled in as the game went on. He has spent so much time as a starter that I’m not sure he’s able to come in off the bench and just dive right into a game. It might take a lot more adjusting for him.

Luka Garza: B (5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist)

With Vuc getting a bulk of the first quarter minutes, Garza started the second quarter and immediately grabbed an offensive rebound, drew a foul, and hit a three. He proved once again that he will be ready whenever he’s called upon.

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