BOSTON — Last time the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers met, Kyrie Irving had some choice words for a Sixers fan as he was walking off the court.
On Thursday night at TD Garden, however, Irving let his game do all the talking.
The Celtics star poured in 36 points on 12-for-21 shooting to lead Boston to a 108-97 win.
Boston’s defense held the 76ers down for much of the night, as Ben Simmons (15 points) and Dario Saric (18 points) had to do most of the heavy lifting with Joel Embiid getting the night off.
Al Horford (21 points), Marcus Morris (17 points) and Jayson Tatum (15 points) also scored in double figures, as the Celtics held off a second-half rally to earn the win.
The Celtics improved to 19-4, while the 76ers fell to 12-9.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Aron Baynes
NO PROCESS
With the 76ers playing on the second night of a back-to-back, head coach Brett Brown elected to sit Embiid to manage his workload.
UNCLE DREW
The Celtics got off to a hot start thanks to Irving. Boston’s star point guard was hitting everything in the first stanza, as he logged 11 points in the quarter to give Boston a 28-22 lead. Horford added 1o in the frame, as the C’s defense held the 76ers to 36 percent shooting during the period.
There also was this monster dunk from Brown:
C’S LEAD AT THE BREAK
It was more of the same in the second frame for the Celtics, as Irving continued to torch the nets and the defense locked up the Embiid-less 76ers.
Boston turned the ball over 12 times in the half, however, which kept the 76ers within 10 at halftime.
Irving led all scorers with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting, while Horford added 12 on 5 of 6 shooting.
Saric paced the 76ers with 11 points and Simmons chipped in with eight points.
76ERS CLOSE THE GAP
Boston’s sloppy play finally caught up with it in the third quarter, as the 76ers erased a 12-point deficit thanks to good work on the glass from Saric and Richaun Holmes.
The game was tied at 67 with three minutes to play in the third quarter when Morris hit two jumpers to give the C’s a four-point lead. Terry Rozier followed with a 3-pointer to swell it to seven.
BOSTON SLAMS THE DOOR
The Celtics held a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter, and then it was closing time.
After Jerryd Bayless trimmed the lead to three, the C’s went on a 14-4 run to take a 13-point edge with just under five minutes to play. Tatum, Morris, Irving, Horford and Daniel Theis all scored during Boston’s run, as the Celtics used the Irving-Horford pick-and-roll/pop to get quality looks for their two stars.
After Robert Covington cut the lead to single digits, Irving buried two free throws and Horford drained a trey to swell the lead to 13 and send the TD Garden faithful home happy.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
Simmons with the Jumpman jam.
UP NEXT
The Celtics will take the court again Saturday when they host the Phoenix Suns. Tip-off from TD Garden is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
