The news

Per @NBA, Paul George scored 36 points in his return to Philadelphia on Tuesday, making 14 of 22 shots, including 6 of 11 from three-point range. The Celtics beat the 76ers 123-101 for their fourth consecutive win and moved into first place in the Eastern Conference.

George scored 14 straight points in the fourth quarter. He finished with five rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes, leading all scorers in the first meeting between the teams since the offseason trade that sent him to Boston.

His scoring was there well before the final quarter. George had a game-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 15 first-half minutes, and Boston led 62-51 at halftime. The Celtics still led in the fourth when he put together the 14-point run that became the defining stretch of his night.

Prior context

Philadelphia entered Tuesday at 9-2, ahead of Boston at 8-2. The teams occupied the top two places in the East through the opening stretch of the season, giving their first meeting since the July trade an immediate standings consequence. Boston arrived with a three-game winning streak.

Through nine games before Tuesday’s matchup, George was averaging 20.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists. His 36 points in Philadelphia were well above that scoring average. The game also marked his first appearance against the 76ers since the trade.

The exchange had changed both rosters before the season began. Tuesday offered their first regular-season meeting with those changes in place, and Boston took it on Philadelphia’s floor. The 22-point margin matched the difference between the teams’ final scores, but George’s individual performance supplied the clearest account of how Boston pulled away.

What it means

Boston left Philadelphia at 9-2 and took the East’s top spot. The result reversed the teams’ order entering the game: Philadelphia had held first place at 9-2 while Boston sat second at 8-2. The Celtics also extended their winning streak to four games.

George’s shooting made this more than a high-volume scoring night. He converted more than half of his attempts from the field and hit six threes while playing 30 minutes. His first-half production gave Boston a scoring lead at the break; his fourth-quarter run came with the Celtics ahead and helped turn the road game into a 22-point victory.

It is one meeting early in the season, rather than a final accounting of the trade or the conference race. What Tuesday established is narrower and concrete: in his first game back against Philadelphia, George led the scoring, Boston won on the road, and the Celtics moved above the 76ers in the standings.

What reporters are saying

Per @NBA, George’s 36-point return included 14 straight points in the fourth quarter and led Boston to the top of the East. @NBAonNBC highlighted his 30-point mark during the fourth quarter and reported that the Celtics were leading in Philadelphia as he scored eight straight points.

Per @NBAonNBC, George also hit Boston’s 19th three-pointer, giving the Celtics their largest lead of the game at that point. Those reports trace the same performance from his early scoring to the late stretch that drew attention after the final score.

What to watch next

Boston carries the conference lead and a four-game winning streak into its next game, a trip to Toronto on the second night of a back-to-back. George’s 36 points set a high mark against his former team; the next game offers another look at his scoring after a night well above his pregame average.

Boston and Philadelphia will meet again later this season. Tuesday gave the Celtics the first win in their season series and the early standings edge between the two teams. Their next meeting will add another result to a matchup that began with both clubs near the top of the East.

Companion to our earlier report: Paul George scores 36 in Philadelphia return, 14-of-22 from the field.