Jayson Tatum had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists in 32 minutes, and the Boston Celtics rolled past the Philadelphia 76ers 123-91 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on April 19, 2026, at TD Garden. Celtics fans waved from the stands and chanted, “We want Boston,” as the defending champions opened the postseason with an emphatic home win.
Joe Mazzulla said the crowd helped Boston get off to a fast start, and he said playoff basketball means more in Boston. Tatum said the crowd was tremendous and called the chance to play a playoff game at home special, while Jaylen Brown said playoff basketball is fun but nothing is guaranteed, a reminder that the series resets quickly before Game 2 on Tuesday night.
The performance fit the way Boston wanted to begin the series. The Celtics planned to compete in Game 2 like they have something to prove, and the tone around the building reflected that urgency long before the final buzzer. The wave moved through TD Garden. The chants followed. The score did the rest.
There was also a familiar edge to the night. Boston has leaned on its “Different Here” slogan after wins on social media, a phrase the team adopted ahead of the 2023-24 season, when it last won an NBA title. Mazzulla, who grew up a Green Teamer and was born and raised in Rhode Island, has spent much of this run talking about what the city adds to the environment. Tatum, meanwhile, has been trying to reclaim rhythm after missing 66 games this season because of an Achilles rupture and the rehab that followed.
That combination — a veteran roster, a loud building and a star still finding his way back — made Game 1 look less like a routine playoff opener than a statement. The 76ers have a chance to answer in Game 2, but Boston already showed how quickly the series can tilt when TD Garden turns into the kind of place the Celtics have spent years marketing as different. The next test is not the noise. It is whether Philadelphia can quiet it.
