The Celtics visited the Philadelphia 76ers on February 15, 2022 and surprisingly put the game away early in front of a silenced Wells Fargo Center crowd.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 57 points, equaling the entire Sixers’ output when they were permanently pulled out of the game, to lead the Celtics to a 135-87 win.
The 48-point winning margin mean more than just a game won for the Men-in-Green by a rout. It reestablishes a couple of records that comes at the expense of their long-time rival.
First, the 48-point win reestablished the largest winning margin by a Celtics team over a Sixers team in their rivalry that has been played 457 times. It eclipsed the previous record, a 37-point shellacking during the Larry Bird era. The Celtics clobbered the Sixers 124-87 on December 20, 1987.
Second, according to ESPN, this was the 7th – ranked lopsided loss of the Sixers in their franchise’s history.
Third, ESPN also says the winning margin is the largest losing margin of a home team who is at least 10 games over .500.
Here are the top 3 lopsided loses of a home team who are at least 10 games over .500:
48 – Boston (135) at Philadelphia (87) on February 15, 2022. The Sixers were carrying a 34-22 record before the loss. Boston improved theirs to 34-25.
42 – The visiting Golden State Warriors defeated the Chicago Bulls, 138-96 on January 14, 2022. This was also the Warriors biggest winning margin for the 2021-22 season as of writing this article. The Bulls were sporting a 27-12 record before the loss. Golden State improved theirs to 31-11.
41 – The visiting New Orleans Hornets defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 100-59, on January 21, 2011. The Hawks were carrying a 26-15 record before the loss. New Orleans improved theirs to 28-15.
By Armando M. Bolislis
