Jaylen Brown Falters as Sixers Lose to Celtics on National TV

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Sixers Falter as Jaylen Brown Struggles and Paul George Powers Boston

The Sixers delivered a disappointing performance on national television, with Jaylen Brown drawing sharp criticism after struggling on a night when the spotlight was on him. After all his talk leading into the game, Brown produced what was described as his worst performance of the season. For a player expected to be the leading figure, coming up small was embarrassing for both him and a Sixers team trying to win a championship.

Before discussing the game itself, the conversation turned to Jayson Tatum and his interaction with Brown. Tatum tried to shake Brown’s hand before the game despite Brown appearing unwilling to talk to him. That gesture was viewed as performative and designed to preserve Tatum’s public image. Although Tatum may be a nice person, the criticism was that he also wants the public to see him that way.

That polished image led to a comparison between Tatum and JD Vance. Both were described as smiling, saying the right things and potentially being likable in person, but difficult to trust from a distance. Brown’s apparent distrust of his former teammate only reinforced those doubts.

Tatum finished with 21 points, six rebounds and two blocks, including 11 points in the first quarter. However, he was outperformed by Paul George, who scored 36 points for Boston.

George was characterized as a disaster during his time in Philadelphia outside of one playoff series against the Celtics. Something appeared to click for him in that matchup, and he has continued that level of play against the Celtics since joining them. Few expected the Sixers to lose because George suddenly looked like the player he was in Indiana.

The potential consolation for Sixers fans is that George scoring 36 points while Boston also makes a high volume of three-pointers is unlikely to happen often. The Celtics rely heavily on the three-point shot, living and dying by that formula.

Philadelphia was described as being built to defend this three-point-heavy version of Boston, but mobility remains a concern. Joel Embiid could eventually play himself off the court if he cannot make the mid-range and three-point attempts he continues to take. His mid-range shots were coming up short, while his three-point attempts were going long. If those shots do not fall, he becomes less of a threat within Philadelphia’s intended approach.

A smaller rotation involving Broad at center, along with Maxey, Edgecombe and Brown, was presented as a possible way to defend the perimeter. However, Brown losing steam and Simons struggling to follow his assignment created problems. Pritchard appeared especially eager to attack whenever he saw Simons defending him.