The 2026-27 NBA season is three weeks old, and the first major "beef" game arrives as the Boston Celtics visit the Philadelphia 76ers tonight. The trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks this summer set up this matchup.
Boston enters as 1.5-point road favorites at DraftKings, with the over/under set at 217.5 points. Tip-off is 8 p.m. ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena as part of an NBC doubleheader.
Both teams have thrived since the deal: Philadelphia leads the Eastern Conference at 9-2, while Boston sits second at 8-2. Brown denied any "beef" with Tatum, but the two reportedly haven't spoken since the trade.
Tatum is averaging 27.1 points, 7.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds, leading the league in combined scoring and playmaking. Brown is averaging 22.5 points (over/under) with a PRA of 32.5. The Sixers have yet to allow a 30-point scorer this season.
Philadelphia's LeBron James has provided clutch performance, with the team 8-0 in crunch time. The 76ers' 9-2 start matches the franchise's best since 2000-01. Boston leads the NBA in net rating at +11.6 and has won its first two games of a four-game trip by at least 20 points.
Betting analysis: Tatum favored on head-to-head points prop at -4.5, with model projecting 26.6 points to Brown's 20.2. Expert picks lean toward Tatum on the money line.
