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Paul George said his role with the Boston Celtics is to support Jayson Tatum and be the best version of himself. George backed that up Tuesday with 36 points in a 123-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, his first game against his former team. While all the attention going into the game was on Tatum and Jaylen Brown, it was George that stole the spotlight in the game. George explained his approach after the game. "My job was to come in and support JT and be the best version that I could be for him," said George. George made 14 of 22 shots, including six 3-pointers, and grabbed five rebounds. George scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone. The Sixers sent George and four future draft picks to Boston last summer to acquire Jaylen Brown. Brown finished with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Philadelphia was outscored by 27 points with Brown on the floor. Tatum added 21 points for Boston. Payton Pritchard had 18 points off the bench and Sam Hauser scored 12. Dean Wade's 3-pointer tied the game at 76 with 4:02 left in the third quarter. Boston pulled away from there, and a George 3 with 9:36 remaining made it 100-82. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 24 points. Joel Embiid posted 16 points and six rebounds after an apparent ankle injury late in the first half. LeBron James had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists. George made an obscene gesture at a fan near the Celtics' bench during a fourth-quarter timeout. He said the fan had dropped the ball in front of him earlier rather than passing it to him. The win moved Boston a half-game ahead of Philadelphia for first place in the Eastern Conference. George entered the game averaging 20.4 points and 2.3 steals. The teams meet again Jan. 21 in Boston.

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