76ers vs Celtics Match Player Stats and Game Highlights

The latest 76ers vs Celtics match player stats come from two preseason meetings in October 2026. Boston won both games: a 144-106 rout at TD Garden on October 10 and a 125-120 overtime win in Philadelphia on October 16. The games had extra interest because of a summer trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the Sixers and Paul George to Boston. Philadelphia also added LeBron James, which turned an already heated Atlantic Division rivalry into one of the most watched storylines of the new season. This guide covers the full player stats from both games, the team numbers that decided them, the plays fans are still talking about, and what to expect when the teams meet in a game that counts on November 10.

76ers vs Celtics Match Player Stats at a Glance

The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers twice in the 2026 preseason, 144-106 on October 10 and 125-120 in overtime on October 16. Payton Pritchard (25 points) and Joel Embiid (27 points) posted the top individual scoring games across the two meetings. Neither result counts in the standings, but both box scores show how each roster has changed.

Here is a side-by-side summary of the stat leaders from each game.

Category	Oct. 10: Celtics 144, 76ers 106	Oct. 16: Celtics 125, 76ers 120 (OT)
Venue	TD Garden, Boston	Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia
76ers top scorer	VJ Edgecombe, 19 points	Joel Embiid, 27 points
Celtics top scorer	Payton Pritchard, 25 points	Hugo Gonzalez, 21 points
76ers top rebounders	Jabari Walker, 6	Embiid, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, 8 each
Celtics top rebounder	Neemias Queta, 10	Gabe McGlothan, 13
76ers assist leader	Labaron Philon Jr., 7	LeBron James, 7
Celtics assist leader	Baylor Scheierman, 8	Hayden Gray, 7

The two games looked very different. In Boston, the Celtics played their main rotation while Philadelphia rested its biggest names. In Philadelphia, the roles flipped: the Sixers used their new star core, and Boston sent mostly reserves and training camp invitees.

October 10 Recap: Celtics 144, 76ers 106 at TD Garden

Boston controlled the October 10 game from the second quarter on and won by 38 points. The 144 points set a franchise record for a Celtics preseason game. Boston led 24-20 after one quarter, outscored Philadelphia 39-22 in the second for a 63-42 halftime lead, and was up 104-69 entering the fourth.

Philadelphia played without Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Anfernee Simons, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. That gave younger players like VJ Edgecombe, Labaron Philon Jr., and Jabari Walker plenty of minutes. Boston used the night to debut its two biggest offseason additions, Paul George and Mitchell Robinson.

Key Player Stats From the October 10 Game

The table below lists the main contributors from both rosters in the opening preseason meeting.

Player	Team	PTS	REB	AST	STL	FG	3PT
Payton Pritchard	BOS	25	4	7	0	7-12	5-8
Jayson Tatum	BOS	23	5	4	1	9-19	4-10
Hugo Gonzalez	BOS	17	6	2	0	6-7	4-4
Derrick White	BOS	15	4	2	1	5-11	1-5
Paul George	BOS	13	5	4	5	3-10	2-7
VJ Edgecombe	PHI	19	3	4	4	6-11	2-5
Jabari Walker	PHI	14	6	2	0	6-11	2-7
Labaron Philon Jr.	PHI	14	2	7	1	5-13	4-8
Justin Edwards	PHI	12	5	2	2	3-7	3-7
Jameer Nelson Jr.	PHI	10	3	2	1	1-3	0-2
Tyrese Maxey	PHI	8	3	4	1	2-10	1-6

Celtics Standouts in the Opener

Payton Pritchard was the best player on the floor. He scored 25 points off the bench on 7-of-12 shooting, made 5 of 8 threes, went 6-for-6 at the line, and added 7 assists. Boston outscored Philadelphia by 35 points while he played, the best plus-minus of the night.

Jayson Tatum looked sharp in his first game at TD Garden since the Celtics’ playoff exit. He scored 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting with four three-pointers, five rebounds, and four assists. Tatum and Paul George connected several times in the open floor, an encouraging sign for Joe Mazzulla’s rotation.

George’s first appearance in green stood out more for defense than scoring. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, and five steals, and four of those steals came in the first half. Baylor Scheierman also had five steals along with eight assists. Hugo Gonzalez was perfect from deep, hitting all four three-point attempts on his way to 17 points.

76ers Standouts in the Opener

VJ Edgecombe led Philadelphia with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, three rebounds, four assists, and four steals. The second-year guard attacked the rim early and scored the Sixers’ first eight points with help from Tyrese Maxey’s passing.

Labaron Philon Jr. gave the bench a lift with 14 points, seven assists, and four made threes. Jabari Walker added 14 points and a team-high six rebounds, and Jameer Nelson Jr. made 8 of 9 free throws in under 18 minutes. Maxey had a quiet night with 8 points on 2-of-10 shooting in 18 minutes, which is typical for a starter easing into preseason.

Team Stats That Decided the Blowout

Ball security, rebounding, and three-point shooting decided the October 10 game. Philadelphia committed 22 turnovers, and Boston scored 40 points off those mistakes. The Celtics also had 16 steals, five each from George and Scheierman.

The shooting gap was just as wide. Boston shot 52.1 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from three (22 of 48). Philadelphia shot 38.6 percent overall and 28.3 percent from deep (15 of 53). The Sixers did win the free throw battle, making 27 of 33 attempts compared with Boston’s 22 of 31.

Rebounding completed the picture. Boston won the glass 71-41, including 19 offensive rebounds to Philadelphia’s 7. Those extra possessions turned a solid lead into a rout. Neemias Queta grabbed 10 rebounds in 19 minutes, and Luka Garza added seven, six of them on the offensive end.

October 16 Rematch: Celtics Win 125-120 in Overtime

Boston won the preseason finale 125-120 in overtime at Xfinity Mobile Arena and finished the preseason 4-0. Philadelphia played its new star group together for the first time in front of its home crowd. The Celtics rested their main players and relied on reserves and first-round pick Chris Cenac Jr.

The Sixers led 94-84 after three quarters. Their starters then sat, and the bench could not hold the lead. Boston won the fourth quarter 31-21 to force overtime, then outscored Philadelphia 10-5 in the extra period. Dillon Mitchell hit the key three-pointer with 1:31 left in overtime.

76ers Player Stats in the Finale

Joel Embiid bounced back in a big way. In his previous preseason game against Brooklyn, he had six points and eight turnovers. Against Boston he scored 27 points in 29 minutes on 7-of-13 shooting, made 11 of 13 free throws, and added eight rebounds and five assists. After the game, Embiid joked, “I thought I would never dunk again.”

The rest of the Philadelphia starters produced these lines:

• Tyrese Maxey: 22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 7-of-11 shooting, 7-of-7 free throws
• Jaylen Brown: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 8-of-14 shooting
• LeBron James: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists in his Sixers home debut
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2-of-5 shooting

Brown was the only Philadelphia starter who played into the fourth quarter. He averaged 20 points per game over three preseason appearances and shot 58 percent from the field. VJ Edgecombe sat out for precautionary reasons, and Anfernee Simons and Adem Bona stayed out with injuries.

Celtics Player Stats in the Finale

Hugo Gonzalez led Boston with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, plus 6-of-8 free throws, four rebounds, and three assists. Gonzalez closed his preseason strongly in both games against Philadelphia, scoring 38 points across the two meetings.

Gabe McGlothan controlled the boards with 13 rebounds, five of them offensive, and Hayden Gray ran the offense with seven assists. As a team, Boston grabbed 18 offensive rebounds to Philadelphia’s five, the same edge that drove the first game.

Philadelphia’s outside shooting also hurt it. The Sixers made only 7 of 38 three-point attempts (18.4 percent). They shot 44.6 percent overall and made 31 of 41 free throws, but missed threes left the door open for Boston’s late comeback.

Game Highlights Fans Are Still Talking About

The biggest highlight across both games was the first look at the post-trade versions of both teams. George’s five-steal debut in Boston showed what the Celtics hope he adds: length, quick hands, and a second creator next to Tatum. Pritchard’s 25 points backed up his bigger offensive role.

In Philadelphia, the Maxey-to-LeBron connection drew the loudest crowd reactions. Maxey found James for a running alley-oop dunk in the first quarter, and the two linked up several more times. Maxey’s relationship with James reportedly played a part in James choosing the Sixers.

Other memorable moments included:

• VJ Edgecombe scoring Philadelphia’s first eight points in the October 10 opener
• Hugo Gonzalez going 4-for-4 from three in Boston
• Embiid’s driving dunk in the third quarter on October 16, assisted by James
• Dillon Mitchell’s overtime three that sealed Boston’s unbeaten preseason
• Brown’s eight-rebound night against his former team

The Offseason Trade Behind the Rivalry’s New Chapter

The trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia and Paul George to Boston made these preseason games feel like more than exhibitions. Brown spent his first 10 NBA seasons with the Celtics and became an All-NBA player there. Boston chose a new direction after a first-round playoff exit, and Philadelphia moved quickly to pair Brown with Embiid, Maxey, and the newly signed LeBron James.

The deal adds a new chapter to one of the NBA’s oldest rivalries, which goes back to the Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain era. The two franchises have met many times in the playoffs, and the recent history is fresh. The Sixers eliminated Boston in Game 7 of the first round of the 2026 playoffs at TD Garden, so the October 10 preseason game was Boston’s first home game since that loss.

For Boston, George plays a different role than Brown did. Mazzulla praised George’s defensive instincts, and George has said he wants to support Tatum rather than compete with him for touches. For Philadelphia, the challenge is chemistry. Brown pointed to spacing problems that caused turnovers in the finale, and the group still looked unsettled even against Boston’s reserves.

Next 76ers vs Celtics Matchup: November 10, 2026

The first regular-season meeting between the teams is Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Those 76ers vs Celtics match player stats will count toward official season totals, which makes this the first true measure of both rebuilt rosters.

Philadelphia started the regular season 3-1. The Sixers won at New York 106-100 on opening night, then beat Cleveland 114-106 and Milwaukee 127-116 before losing to Detroit 93-106. Their next game is tonight at Indiana. That matchup puts them against a Pacers backcourt that includes veteran guard T.J. McConnell, whose family story we cover in our profile of Valerie Guiliani, T.J. McConnell’s wife.

Before the teams meet again, the Sixers also face the Knicks, Hornets, Bulls, Pistons, and Cavaliers. Each game gives Nick Nurse more time to refine rotations around his four stars. For more game recaps and updates, check our latest news coverage.

Here is what to watch in the November 10 game:

• Rebounding: Boston beat Philadelphia on the offensive glass in both preseason games, 19-7 and 18-5. The Sixers need Brown and James to help on the defensive boards.
• Turnovers: Twenty-two turnovers led to 40 Boston points on October 10. Philadelphia’s stars have to protect the ball against George and Scheierman.
• Three-point shooting: The Sixers went a combined 22-for-91 from deep across the two games. Boston will likely dare them to shoot again.
• Brown vs. Tatum: The former teammates have not yet faced each other in a real game. Their head-to-head numbers will be the most quoted stat line of the night.

How to Read the Box Score Numbers

A basketball box score shows each player’s minutes (MIN), points (PTS), rebounds (REB), assists (AST), steals (STL), blocks (BLK), and turnovers (TO). Shooting appears as made-attempted, so “7-12 FG” means a player made 7 of 12 field goal attempts. The 3PT and FT columns show three-pointers and free throws the same way.

Plus-minus (+/-) tracks the score change while a player is on the court. Pritchard’s +35 on October 10 means Boston outscored Philadelphia by 35 points during his minutes. Plus-minus says a lot about lineup impact in a single game, but it depends heavily on teammates and opponents, so it works best alongside the other numbers.

Conclusion

The 2026 preseason gave fans two very different looks at the 76ers and Celtics. Boston’s 144-106 win showed a deep, disciplined team that forced turnovers and won the glass. The 125-120 overtime rematch showed what Philadelphia’s star group can do together, led by Embiid’s 27 points and Maxey’s efficient 22. Neither result counts, but the patterns of rebounding, turnovers, and outside shooting point straight to the November 10 game, when the real 76ers vs Celtics rivalry resumes with new faces on both sides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the latest 76ers vs Celtics game?

The Boston Celtics won the most recent meeting 125-120 in overtime on October 16, 2026, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The game closed both teams’ preseason schedules. Hugo Gonzalez led Boston with 21 points, while Joel Embiid paced the 76ers with 27 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.

Who scored the most points in the 76ers vs Celtics preseason games?

Joel Embiid posted the highest single-game total with 27 points in the October 16 overtime loss. In the October 10 game, Payton Pritchard led all scorers with 25 points off the bench, and Jayson Tatum added 23. VJ Edgecombe topped Philadelphia that night with 19 points.

Did Jaylen Brown play against the Celtics?

Jaylen Brown sat out the October 10 game in Boston but played his former team on October 16 in Philadelphia. He scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting with eight rebounds and three assists. Brown spent his first 10 NBA seasons with the Celtics before the offseason trade.

When do the 76ers and Celtics play next?

The 76ers host the Celtics on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time at Xfinity Mobile Arena. It marks the first regular-season meeting between the teams in the 2026-27 season, so its player stats will count toward official season totals.

Do preseason stats count toward NBA season totals?

No, preseason stats do not count toward official NBA regular-season or career totals. The league records them separately, and teams often rest stars or test lineups in exhibition games. Fans should treat these 76ers and Celtics numbers as early signals of form rather than final verdicts.