BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in his first playoff game since rupturing his right Achilles tendon last season, and the Boston Celtics rolled past the Philadelphia 76ers 123-91 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Sunday.
Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Neemias Queta added 13 for the second-seeded Celtics.
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Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) goes for a layup against the Boston Celtics during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball game, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives against Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball game, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, right, goes for a layup against Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, second from left, during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball game, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives against Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George, right, during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball game, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum goes in for a dunk against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball game, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Tatum scored 21 points in the first half, playing in just his 17th game this season following surgery last May to repair his Achilles tendon.
“I’m still rehabbing,” Tatum said. “I still attack rehab every single day except for when we have off days. ... Still trying to ramp up.”
Boston never trailed, building a 35-point lead as coach Joe Mazzulla gave minutes to 12 players. The Celtics connected on 16 3-pointers.
“That was Celtics basketball,” Brown said. “We’ve been the harder-playing team all year. That can’t change now that the playoffs have started.”
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Boston.
Tyrese Maxey had 21 points and eight assists for the 76ers, who played without Joel Embiid. The 2023 MVP continues to recover following an appendectomy on April 9. It's unclear when he will be able to return.
Paul George scored 17 points and V.J. Edgecombe added 13. Philadelphia was 4 of 23 from 3-point range.
Maxey was hounded by a Celtics defense that contested 12 of his 14 shot attempts in the first half and held him to 8 of 20 from the field.
Philadelphia’s 64-46 halftime deficit was its largest in a playoff game against Boston since 1982. Coach Nick Nurse called the Sixers' effort “absolutely unacceptable.”
“We just didn't do enough at either end to settle into the game,” he said.
Tatum had 10 first-quarter points, punctuated with an emphatic two-handed dunk, to help the Celtics end the period with a 33-18 lead.
Philadelphia struggled at the outset to keep pace with Boston’s shooting, making one of its first nine attempts from 3. The Sixers also had issues keeping Boston out of the paint after Embiid's understudies, Adem Bona and Andre Drummond, each picked up two quick fouls.
That prompted Nurse to bring in Dominick Barlow, who played just 10 minutes in Philadelphia's play-in victory over Orlando.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) goes for a layup against the Boston Celtics during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball game, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives against Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball game, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, right, goes for a layup against Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, second from left, during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball game, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives against Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George, right, during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball game, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum goes in for a dunk against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball game, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich wrapped up another Bundesliga title on Sunday, the club’s 13th in 14 years, after a record-breaking season that could still get better.
The Bundesliga is just the first of a potential treble of trophies with Bayern next facing Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinals of the German Cup on Wednesday before it takes on defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals of the Champions League.
The Bundesliga is seen within the club as the minimum target for the season and this is Bayern’s record-extending 35th German championship. Apart from the first in 1932, when it was decided by regional champions in a knockout competition, all the others came after the Bundesliga’s formation in 1963.
Bayern is always keen to assert its domestic dominance. Leverkusen’s triumph in 2024 was an outlier that spurred Bayern to back-to–back titles and may be the start of another long run.
Bayern bounced back from the trauma of 2012 – when it lost the Champions League final in Munich to Chelsea, as well as the Bundesliga and German Cup final to Borussia Dortmund – by winning the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble the following season under Jupp Heynckes.
The Bundesliga this season is just the first step as Bayern chases another treble. Here’s a closer look at how it was won:
Bayern smashed its own league record for goals scored in a season by clocking five against St. Pauli to take its tally to 105 goals last weekend. The previous record was 101 goals scored by Bayern’s 1971-72 team featuring Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller.
England forward Harry Kane was among the scorers in the title-clinching 4-2 win against Stuttgart on Sunday to extend the record to 109 goals. And there are still four rounds remaining.
Kane took his club tally for the season to 50 against Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals. It’s 51 now. He has 32 goals in 27 Bundesliga games so far.
New signing Luis Díaz chipped in 15 and Michael Olise has 12, but Bayern’s goals came from all over the team with Leon Goretzka getting the record-breaking 102nd goal against St. Pauli.
Including the win over Stuttgart, Bayern scored four goals or more in 14 league games starting on the opening day with a 6-0 rout of Leipzig.
Bayern again has no rival capable of challenging its dominance. Borussia Dortmund came closest this season but it was long clear it couldn’t provide a match for Bayern, which ended any notions of a contest at the end of February by winning 3-2 in Dortmund.
“We have an 11-point advantage,” Joshua Kimmich said at the time, “we’re not going to give it away.”
Dortmund opened the way for Bayern to clinch the title on Sunday by losing two consecutive games.
None of Stuttgart, Leipzig or Leverkusen could even keep up with Dortmund.
Though he was far from first choice, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany has proven an inspired appointment for a team that was misfiring and underachieving with Thomas Tuchel.
In his second season at Bayern, Kompany has more than steadied the ship, promoting young players like Lennart Karl – who looks set to become a star – while thoughtfully rotating the squad to keep all his players involved and happy while minimizing the likelihood of injuries.
Kane has had his sights on breaking Robert Lewandowski’s season record of 41 Bundesliga goals but Kompany decided to manage his star forward’s playing time to rest him for key games in the Champions League and German Cup.
Kompany also earned praise for speaking up against racism after José Mourinho blamed Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior for provoking the abuse he receives, and he welcomed the appointment of Marie-Louise Eta as the first female coach in the Bundesliga last week.
Kompany has brought harmony to Bayern, a club previously known as “FC Hollywood” for all the tabloid headlines it generated.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Bayern's Harry Kane, left, Dayot Upamecano, center, and Josip Stanisic celebrate with their kifds celebrate after their team clinched the German league title after during a Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern and Stuttgart in Munich, Germany, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern's coach Vincent Kompany celebrates after winning the German championship at the end of the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern and Stuttgart in Munich, Germany, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)
Bayern players celebrate after their team clinched the German league title after a Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern and Stuttgart in Munich, Germany, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern players celebrate after their team clinched the German league title after a Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern and Stuttgart in Munich, Germany, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern's Harry Kane reacts during a Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern and Stuttgart in Munich, Germany, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
