In the preseason debut for most of their regulars, the Celtics hammered the short-staffed Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, stampeding to a 144-106 win at TD Garden.
Here are five takeaways from the exhibition matchup:
1. Brown sits
Jaylen Brown was a spectator in his first game back in Boston since his offseason trade to Philly. The former Celtics star completed a lengthy pregame workout on the Garden parquet but did not dress for the game.
Brown could face his former team as soon as next Friday, when the Celtics close out the preseason at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena. But the Sixers don’t return to Causeway Street until Jan. 21, so it will be quite a while before Brown faces his old team on that familiar floor.
Also among the Sixers’ DNPs on Saturday: LeBron James, Joel Embiid and ex-Celtics Anfernee Simons and Tacko Fall. Starters Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe were active.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jaylen Brown, left, takes a shot prior to a preseason NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, his former team, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
2. George, Robinson debut
After playing only backups in Thursday’s win over Cleveland, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla gave his regulars their first run of the preseason.
Boston’s starting lineup Saturday featured Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jordan Walsh and newcomers Paul George and Mitchell Robinson. Walsh was the only member of that group who saw minutes against the Cavaliers.
The early minutes for that new-look lineup were choppy. The Celtics missed their first six shots, botched a few possessions (a mistimed Tatum-to-Robinson lob, an errant Paul-to-Robinson pass) and fell behind 8-0 before Robinson got them on the board with a fierce putback dunk.
That was a preview of what the Celtics hope Robinson brings to their roster, which already was among the best in the NBA at gobbling up offensive boards last season. The former New York Knicks center is arguably the league’s best offensive rebounder.
Later, Robinson outmuscled Dean Wade and Dillon Jones for possession off a Payton Pritchard miss and finished through contact for an and-one layup. He finished with six points, five rebounds and one assist in 13 minutes in his first game in green.
George struggled to find his shot for much of the night, but he was Boston’s primary defensive playmaker, racking up five steals.
“Defensively, they take things to another level. It starts there,” Mazzulla said of the Celtics’ two new veterans, before acknowledging they’ll need to work through some timing and positioning issues on offense.
George crouched down in relief after finally making his first field goal with 3:35 remaining in the first half. That shot — a straightaway 3-pointer off a White steal — capped a 15-3 run for the Celtics, who controlled the game after the opening four or so minutes.
The former 76er hit another triple later in the second quarter as Boston built a 63-42 halftime lead. His final line: 13 points on 3-of-10 shooting, 5-for-6 from the line, five rebounds, four assists and three turnovers in 24 minutes.
One notable nugget from George’s postgame media scrum: Saturday night was the first time he and Tatum had played together. They’ve competed on opposite teams throughout training camp.
“Today was literally our first time being on the same side,” he said. “All camp, we’ve been competing against each other. So today was the first opportunity to kind of learn each other and get a feel for one another. But again, my job is to try to make this as easy as possible for him. He’s going to be special. … But if my aggression takes the pressure off him, and if I can find ways to steal extra possessions defensively or get him some easy baskets, that’s what I’m on that floor to do.”
Boston Celtics forward Paul George (13) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
3. Tatum sharp
No ramp-up period for Tatum in his first full season post-Achilles surgery.
The Celtics star played the entire first quarter and looked confident and composed. He scored 10 points with one assist, plus a few other pinpoint passes that his teammates couldn’t convert.
Tatum played until late in the third quarter before being shut down for the night along with White and George. In his 26 minutes, he tallied 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting (4-of-10 from deep) with five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one turnover.
“I thought he got good carryover from what we’re asking him to do on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said. “His defensive activity was good. I thought offensively he had great flow, the ball found him, but he was able to create opportunities for him and his teammates. … I thought his cardio looked good, decision-making looked good, and his activity was good.”
All in all, an encouraging first outing for Boston’s most important player.
“I was really happy to kind of just be a part of it today,” Tatum said. “Kind of feel normal again.”
4. Depth on display
The Celtics believe depth and versatility will be strengths of this season’s roster. One reason for their confidence? Consider this:
Of the six bench players who saw playing time Saturday (not including the deep reserves who subbed in late), four started 20-plus games for Boston last season: Neemias Queta (75), Pritchard (50), Sam Hauser (49) and Baylor Scheierman (20). The other two were Hugo Gonzalez and Luka Garza, who were effective rotation players for most of 2025-26.
Pritchard was the most productive of that bunch, scoring 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting and drilling five of his eight 3-pointers.
Scheierman and Gonzalez brought their typical dirty-work energy. On one third-quarter possession, the former leaped out of bounds to save a loose ball, sparking a fast break that the latter finished with a layup.
Gonzalez (17 points) also had a terrific shooting night, missing just once on seven attempts and burying all four of his 3-pointers. Scheierman matched George with five steals. Together, they drew four offensive fouls and pulled down three offensive rebounds.
“They just play a physical style of basketball, and it favors them in situations like that,” Mazzulla said.
Elsewhere, Queta recorded 10 rebounds in 19 minutes and was a plus-31. Hauser made three of his five threes and was a plus-27. Garza had six offensive boards in 11 minutes before taking a shot to the face and exiting toward the locker room.
It will be fascinating to see how Mazzulla divvies up minutes between all of those impact subs, plus others like Walsh — unclear whether he’ll be a starter or reserve once the regular season begins — and Ron Harper Jr. That competition would get even tighter if either of Boston’s rookies (first-round big man Chris Cenac Jr. and second-round wing Dillon Mitchell) looks NBA-ready at any point this season.
Those two had a few moments late in the fourth quarter, too. On one, Mitchell grabbed a rebound off a missed Cenac three and fed his draft mate for a driving dunk.
5. Carter ruled out
Devin Carter didn’t have a chance to build on his promising preseason debut. After putting up 17 points and finishing as a plus-22 against the Cavs, the tryout guard missed Saturday’s game with an illness, according to the team.
Carter, a 2024 lottery pick who starred at Providence College, is one of five players attending Celtics training camp on an Exhibit-10 contract. He’s battling Milos Uzan, Tucker DeVries, Hayden Gray and Gabe McGlothan for Boston’s final two-way contract spot.
Of those, only Uzan saw action against Philadelphia, checking in for the final four minutes. Harper, who played his way from an E-10 to a three-year contract extension last season, sat out his second straight game with a shoulder injury.
The Celtics will host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) in their penultimate preseason contest.