The NBA-leading Boston Celtics shook off the absence of three starters and the early exit of Jaylen Brown to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 106-99 Wednesday night in the US.

Brown took an accidental elbow from teammate Jayson Tatum as they both went for a rebound with less than two minutes left in the first half and was knocked out of the game with a facial contusion.

It was a potentially crushing blow for a Celtics team already without Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and Al Horford, but the Eastern Conference leaders didn't miss a beat.

"Tonight was the definition of a team win," Tatum told broadcaster ESPN after the Celtics shot 52.6 percent from the floor, draining 19 of their 35 three-point attempts.

Tatum himself had a quiet night with just 12 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, connecting on just five of his 15 shots from the field.

But his unheralded teammates did more than enough to hold off the Sixers and their MVP candidate Joel Embiid, who led all scorers with 28 points.

James Harden scored 20 for Philadelphia, who never led after the first quarter.

Down by 11 with 5:51 to play, the 76ers would twice cut the deficit to three, but the Celtics found the answers.

Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 apiece for Boston. Blake Griffin drained five three-pointers while Sam Hauser and Grant Williams hit four apiece.

"Those guys are putting in so much work," Tatum said of the players who stepped up. "And they're professionals. When they get their number called they come in and compete."

The Cleveland Cavaliers also shook off notable absences in a wire-to-wire 113-85 home victory over the Detroit Pistons.