NBA · CELTICS–76ERS · POSTGAME OPINION & ANALYSIS
Paul George Shows the Vision: These Celtics Look Like the Real Deal
November 10, 2026 · Mighty Bets · Final-game statistical snapshot: November 10, 10:34 p.m. ET
To me, this is what Brad Stevens envisioned. A Celtics team that can defend, shoot and function like a well-oiled machine, with Paul George capable of taking over without the entire offense depending on one player.
Boston beat Philadelphia 123–101 on November 10, moving to 9–2 while the Sixers fell to 9–3. George supplied the headline performance: 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting, including six makes in 11 attempts from three, in 30:09. Boston entered the fourth up nine and won the final period 32–19.
George was the difference, but the machine matters
My takeaway is that Boston looks like the real deal. I think this team is much better than last year: the combination of defense, shooting and a clearer identity stands out. That is my assessment of how the Celtics are playing, not a claim that one November result proves a season-long improvement in every statistical category.
George was not doing this alone. Jayson Tatum scored 21, while Payton Pritchard added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Pritchard and Sam Hauser combined for eight made threes. Boston’s bench outscored Philadelphia’s 49–29, and the Celtics finished with 22 threes on 49 attempts.
Philadelphia’s half-court question
My concern with the Sixers is what happens when they cannot create steals and fast breaks. When the game settles into the half court, I do not think they look as good. Against a connected defense, getting organized and generating a good shot is a different challenge from attacking before the defense is set.
The game’s numbers give that concern context. Philadelphia won fast-break points 21–10 but still lost by 22. Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James combined to shoot 10-for-30. The Sixers managed only 19 points in the fourth quarter, when the game moved out of reach.
Those numbers do not establish a measured half-court offensive rating. Fast-break points do not capture every transition possession, and subtracting them from total points does not produce a valid half-court efficiency statistic. The concern is a basketball interpretation to follow across more games, not a settled verdict from this box score.
The shooting gap cannot be ignored
Boston made 11 more threes than Philadelphia, a 33-point advantage from beyond the arc. The Celtics shot 44.9% from three; the Sixers shot 29.7%. That difference is too large to explain the entire outcome solely through offensive structure.
Philadelphia also had real positives. Tyrese Maxey scored 24 on 8-of-12 shooting, and the Sixers made 24 free throws to Boston’s five. Getting to the line was a strength, even as Embiid finished 2-for-9 from the field and Philadelphia struggled to keep pace.
It is November, not a championship announcement
I am not declaring a champion off this game. I still think both teams will be there at the end. Boston gave me more reason to believe in its identity; Philadelphia gave me a question I want answered when transition opportunities dry up.
The next thing to watch is the quality of those settled possessions: paint touches, open threes and whether the Sixers are creating their intended shot or settling late in the clock. For Boston, the challenge is sustaining this connected play when the threes are not falling at this rate.
Sources and scope
Game statistics: NBA.com final box score and official game summary. Figures cover this game only unless identified as postgame records. No possession-level half-court efficiency figure is asserted. First-person assessments are commentary, not reported statements from Brad Stevens.