Boston Celtics 123-101 Philadelphia 76ers
Brown's first regular season clash against the Celtics team he called home for a decade played out against reports of a beef with his 2024 NBA title-winning partner Tatum.
The two men have exchanged cryptic public barbs, apparently disagreeing over Tatum's knowledge of -- or role in -- Brown's shock trade this summer to the Sixers.
Tatum greeted Brown moments before tip-off but was seemingly blanked, and the game began in feisty fashion, with a fired-up Brown making two steals but conceding two fouls in the opening minutes.
But Brown was ultimately restricted to just 13 points on a frustrating night, against Tatum's 21, as Boston weathered a Philadelphia third-quarter comeback and rode to victory.
"No game is bigger than the other, definitely in the regular season, you know -- it's one game," said Tatum.
"The hoopla is over, and now we get all ready for tomorrow."
The Celtics took an early lead, even as the Philadelphia crowd booed Tatum's every move, jeering loudly as he wildly misplaced a pass under pressure from VJ Edgecombe.
But as the game settled into its rhythm it was veteran Paul George -- who went the other direction, from Philadelphia to Boston, as part of the Brown package -- who dominated.
George racked up 36 points across the night, on superb shooting form including six three-pointers from 11 attempts.
In the third quarter, Tatum soared above LeBron James for a driving dunk.
But Philadelphia rallied, levelling the score at 76-76 and again at 79-79 with a monster Maxey three-pointer.
Boston regrouped and raced out of sight down the final stretch, with George paying credit to Tatum for soaking up the opposition's focus, leaving him free to score.
"Obviously JT demands so much attention. Playing off him has allowed me to get a lot of easy opportunities," he said.
"At this point in my career, there's only one thing that I want to do, and that's win. And so, for him, especially for JT, (my role is) to alleviate any pressure, any friction.
"I'm here to help you. I'm in a way here to serve you, make you become the best player that you can become."
The battle of the top two teams in the East saw Boston move to 9-2 with a fourth straight win, with Philadelphia now 9-3.
New York Knicks 117-85 Milwaukee Bucks
Also in the NBA on Tuesday, the defending champion New York Knicks thrashed the struggling Milwaukee Bucks 117-85.
Jalen Brunson scored 23 and Karl-Anthony Towns continued his fine form with 21 points plus 16 rebounds, extending his streak of consecutive double-doubles to start the season to 10 games. New York have now won four straight games, getting this one done without Josh Hart, who missed his third straight game due to illness, with the team getting it done by placing Landry Shamet into a starting role.
The Bucks slump to 1-10, having lost their former star man Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer. There were some positives for Milwaukee in this one, as Ryan Rollins and Jaime Jaquez Jr. combined for 30 points, but given the lack of talent with Tyler Herro missing this game, it's tough to see any positives on the horizon for the Bucks.
Around the League
Elsewhere, the Phoenix Suns exploded for 133 points at home, taking down the lackluster Los Angeles Clippers in the process, with Jordan Goodwin the leading scorer with 18 off the bench, leading an impressive seven Suns players in double digits. Devin Booker was relatively quiet in this one, but in the win, the Suns showed off their depth and versatility, picking up the much needed win in the process as they move to 4-6 on the season in a loaded Western Conference.
As for the Clippers, they are now 2-8 on the year with no one scoring over 13 points in this game, and given the drama off the court, the struggles on the floor have only been compounded for LA as their nightmare past few months continues on.
The Miami Heat also picked up a much needed win, this time over the very game Utah Jazz, with Giannis Antetokounmpo tallying 30 points and 11 rebounds, clearly finding his groove with his new organization. In support, 19 from Davion Mitchell saw all five starters in double digits in the game, with Andrew Wiggins also chipping in a very valuable 13 points off the bench.
For Utah, the standout was once again top pick Darryn Peterson with 25 points on 10-19 shooting, while last years top pick Ace Bailey added 23, giving the loyal fans in Utah a very good look at their future despite the poor 1-10 start to the 2026/27 campaign.