Paul George scores 36 in Philadelphia return, gives fan middle finger

Paul George gave a 76ers fan the middle finger Tuesday while scoring a game-high 36 points in his first game back in Philadelphia, where the Boston Celtics beat the 76ers 123-101.

George made the gesture with a bowling motion during a fourth-quarter 76ers timeout, after his fourth 3-pointer put Boston up 100-82.

Afterward, George said the fan dropped a loose ball rather than pass it to him, treating him as though he were a dog sent to fetch it. "And so, yeah, then I rolled him a middle finger in return," George said.

Looks like Paul George may have also flipped out a fan (or someone) after that three

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) November 11, 2026

Boston moved to 9-2 with the victory, giving the Celtics the Eastern Conference's best record. Philadelphia dropped to 9-3 after a contest billed as a meeting of the conference's top two seeds.

George scored 14 straight Celtics points in the fourth quarter. He finished the game 14 for 22 from the field, with six 3-pointers.

The Celtics made 22 3-pointers overall, while Jayson Tatum contributed 21 points.

Tyrese Maxey, the Philadelphia guard and former George teammate, said he had wanted George to score zero points.

Tyrese Maxey on Paul George: “It’s good to see Paul. I don’t want to see Paul get 6 3s and 30 points! But I love him. Love his family. I want to see him score 0 points, but it’s good to see Paul. He’s my guy. He’s a good dude.” #Sixers

— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) November 11, 2026

George, a nine-time All-Star at 36, joined Boston in July in a trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia and included draft picks.

He had joined the 76ers as a free agent in 2024, signing a four-year, $212 million deal after leaving the Clippers.

George played 78 regular-season games across two Philadelphia seasons because of injuries and a suspension, with knee and adductor injuries among his ailments. The NBA suspended him for 25 games last season for violating the terms of its anti-drug program.

Before Tuesday, George was averaging 20.4 points, more than he averaged in either Philadelphia season, according to The Associated Press.

Brown faced Boston for the first time since the trade and scored 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, finishing minus-27 in 26 minutes. He picked up two fouls in the first quarter and his fourth early in the second half.

Tatum tapped Brown on the chest before tipoff, but Brown did not return the greeting.

Afterward, video showed Brown greeting several former Celtics teammates and heading to the locker room without acknowledging Tatum, who was being interviewed by NBC, The Sporting News reported.

Tatum played down their pregame interaction, while Brown said he was focused on his team and not paying attention to anything else.

On Nov. 8, asked whether he would speak to Tatum before the game, Brown said, "It’s nothing to talk about. He’s on his side I’m on my side," according to reporter Kris Rhim's post on X.

Brown will return to Boston when the teams meet again Jan. 21.