Paul George returned to Philadelphia for the first time since the Celtics acquired him in the Jaylen Brown trade. He scored 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting with six threes and five assists, and Boston blew out the 76ers. The win moved Boston to first in the Eastern Conference. [bleacherreport.com](https://bleacherreport.com/liveblogs/25531930-boston-celtics-vs-philadelphia-76ers-live-nba-updates-scores-and-highlights) described it as Paul George “going nuclear,” while [celticsblog.com](https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-celtics-news/149861/paul-george-treating-return-to-philly-as-a-regular-game) noted George downplayed the return by saying he was treating it as “a regular game.”
Boston traded Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia in the summer for George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, betting that George's two-way play would fit next to Jayson Tatum. George had two injury-marred seasons in Philadelphia, so his health and fit were the major questions. His shooting and on-ball defense in this game showed why the Celtics made the move. [hoopsnightly.com](https://hoopsnightly.com/teams/76ers/news/2026-10-11-around-the-beat)
Paul George had 36 points, 5 assists, 6 made threes and shot 14-of-22 from the field as Boston beat Philadelphia in his return to Philadelphia. Not a factual claim; a highlight/hype post from the NBA. POST 2120354977264832537: NOCLAIM Not a factual claim; a slow-motion highlight.
Paul George scored 36 in his return to Philadelphia, and Boston's win moved the Celtics to first in the Eastern Conference.
ESPN posted a highlight of Bryce James blocking a shot at the rim.
Paul George hit back-to-back threes and scored 14 straight points during his 36-point game.
LPaul George walked into Philly tonight and hung 36 on the Sixers.
MHe did not take it easy on them. Fourteen of twenty-two, six threes, five assists.
LBleacher Report posted on X that PG went to work against his former team.
MAnd Boston moved to number one in the East with the win. That matters.
LHold on, you're leading with standings? The guy dropped 36 in his first game back in that building.
MOne game in October doesn't tell me he's the answer. Two injury-marred years in Philly tell me more.
LOh, come on. Those injuries are the reason people point to for why Boston moved Jaylen Brown to Philly and got George and picks back.
MExactly. They bet on health, not on one hot night.
LBut he looked healthy, and he looked like the two-way player they traded for.
MI'll give you that. His shot was pure, and the back-to-back threes were nasty.
LThe NBA account posted it: back-to-back PG triples on the way to 36 points.
MIt was a takeover. But you don't hang a banner in October.
LNobody's hanging a banner. I'm saying the East just got put on notice.
MThe East? Another team can lose one game and still be fine. It's a long season.
LBut Boston's number one right now, and PG just torched his old team. That's confidence.
MConfidence, sure. But the Celtics need him whole in May, not November.
LWhy can't you just enjoy the man dropping 36?
MI am enjoying it. I'm also not handing them the trophy.
LA Celtics fan replied to Bleacher Report: "Yeah he's gonna fit in Boston just fine."
MThat's a fan talking. I want to see him do that in a playoff series.
LAnd if he does, are you going to admit the trade was right?
MIf he does it in the playoffs, absolutely. But that's a big if.
LCelticsBlog says George called it "a regular game." He's not even hyping himself.
MRight, 36 in a revenge game is just regular. Sure.
LHe's saying all the right things. That's exactly what you want from a veteran.
MI'll give him that. He didn't make it about himself after the game.
LHe didn't have to. The scoreboard did.
MFair. Philly had no answer for him.
LThey didn't. Boston dominated, and the whole team got involved.
MThat's the thing: this team is deep when PG plays like that.
LAnd that's why I'm fired up. They have a real shot.
MThey do. I just need to see it for more than one night.
LYou're impossible to please.
MI'm a fact-checker. I need evidence.
MSpeaking of blocks, ESPN posted a clip on X of Bryce James swatting a shot at the rim.
LLeBron's son met a guy at the rim and erased him.
MThe timing looks like his dad's chase-down blocks. It's a genuinely nasty play.
LBut be honest, if his last name wasn't James, is ESPN posting that?
MProbably not. That's the whole business now.
LThat's my issue: the name gets the post, not the play.
MThe play is real though. You can't fake that vertical.
LNo, but there are kids making that block in gyms across the country tonight without a national account.
MTrue. But this one has the bloodline, and the clip is fun.
LFine, I'll watch it. Just don't tell me he's the next LeBron yet.
MI won't. He's his own player.
LGood. Because we've seen enough kids get crowned too early.
MThat's the whole game now: crown them at sixteen.
LAnd then wonder why they crumble.
MThe block was real. The hype is coming. We'll see if he earns the next one on his own.