LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Jayson Tatum had career playoff highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-101 in Game 1 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Jaylen Brown scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and Kemba Walker added 19 points for the Celtics.
Joel Embiid had 26 points and 16 rebounds and Josh Richardson and Alec Burks each added 18 points for the 76ers.
Philadelphia nearly pulled off the win without All-Star guard Ben Simmons, who is out indefinitely after left knee surgery.
The 76ers had 18 turnovers as a team compared to Boston's 7, which proved to be costly errors down the stretch.
The teams will face off for Game 2 of the series on August 19 at 6:30 p.m.
