Jayson Tatum Cites Celtics’ Culture As Reason They Beat 76ers

Jayson Tatum claims the Celtics' culture helped them take out Philadelphia while undermanned.

The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers met for a rematch on Wednesday night, one week after their initial meeting during the 2023-2024 NBA season. The Sixers took a 1-0 lead in the series, coming out on top in a tight matchup.

Wednesday’s game was a tough scenario for both teams, who were missing key players. On Philadelphia’s side, Nic Batum and Kelly Oubre were out for the night. As for the Celtics, two players they have roughly $64 million invested in for this season got the night off. Kristaps Porzingis was dealing with a minor injury, while Jaylen Brown woke up with an illness.

For the Celtics, the key absences didn’t affect them from the jump. Off the rip, they fired off for nearly 40 points in the first quarter while holding the Sixers to 32 percent shooting from the field. A 15-point lead quickly turned into 17 points in the second quarter. However, the shorthanded Celtics lost some steam a bit.

The Sixers shot sharp as ever in the second quarter, outscoring Boston by 16 points. They took a one-point lead before the game went into the intermission. In the first outing between the Sixers and the Celtics, Philadelphia’s big third quarter was a key reason why Boston couldn’t overcome them in the eyes of Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.

On Wednesday, the Celtics were focused on avoiding the same mistake. They executed just as they planned. Holding the Sixers to under 20 points in a pivotal third quarter, the Celtics found themselves back out in front heading into crunch.

As much as the Sixers showed fight in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t find a way to take advantage of the Brown and Porzingis-less Celtics. To Jayson Tatum, the Celtics’ ability to overcome a team like the Sixers while missing those two key players comes from the culture the team has established over the years.

“I think it just speaks to the culture of our team and our organization and how it is just the next-man-up mentality,” Tatum told reporters after the game. “There are going to be nights throughout the season when certain guys might be out. We don’t make excuses. We just find ways to try and win. I think how tough we are as a team and how hard we play, we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win every night regardless of who’s in and who’s out.”

The Celtics evened the regular season series against the Sixers 1-1 with a 117-107 win in Philadelphia on Wednesday. In the next two meetings between the Atlantic Division rivals, the Sixers will be the visitors, taking two trips to Boston. The next time they’ll meet will be on December 1.