Tyrese Maxey’s 52 points propels Philadelphia 76ers over San Antonio Spurs 133-126 in double overtime thriller
The Philadelphia 76ers escaped the San Antonio Spurs 133-126 in a game that was decided by two overtime periods and headlined by Tyrese Maxey scoring a career-high 52 points.
Philadelphia won their fifth consecutive game and improved to 44-35 on the season while ascending to the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Miami Heat (43-35) are one game behind the 76ers after losing to the Indiana Pacers today. However, moving forward, it is important to note that Miami has the season-series tiebreaker over Philadelphia.
The 76ers were without Robert Covington (knee), Joel Embiid (knee), who missed his first game since returning last week, as well as Tobias Harris (knee), Kyle Lowry (rest), and De’Anthony Melton.
Dominick Barlow (knee), Charles Bassey (ACL), Cedi Osman (ankle), Jeremy Sochan (ankle), and Devin Vassell (metatarsal head) were sidelined for the Spurs.
Tyrese Maxey’s 52 points carried 76ers
As previously mentioned, Tyrese Maxey exploded for a career-high 52 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, on 19-41 shooting from the field after scoring just 7 points on 2-6 field shooting against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
Only three other 76ers players in franchise history have at least three 50-point games in a season, being Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, and Joel Embiid according to Stathead.
The 76ers needed every single one of Maxey’s 52 points as it was his aggressiveness at the basket that helped Philadelphia come back from double-digits in the 2nd half. Maxey relentlessly got past his primary defender with quick dribble penetration and snaked his way off ball-screens to impressively finish at the rim over a helping Victor Wembanyama (33 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 assists) while repeatedly drawing contact (12-12 foul shooting).
Maxey’s connection with Nicolas Batum (9 points on 3-7 perimeter shooting) was just as vital as his slashing. Maxey commanded multiple defenders with the ball in his hands and created perimeter shots for Batum in the clutch. Maxey also sent the game to overtime coming off a down-screen set by Kelly Oubre Jr. at half-court, cutting to the rim, and finishing off a masterful inbounds pass from Batum.
Kelly Oubre Jr. and Ricky Council IV come up huge for 76ers
While Maxey led the charge in terms of driving to the rim, he was not alone in this effort as Kelly Oubre Jr. (26 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Ricky Council (11 points, 4 steals, and 3 assists) were just as aggressive. Oubre was constantly looking to attack in transition and similar to Maxey, Oubre maneuvered past his primary defender and got to the paint.
Ricky Council IV once again proved why he deserves an NBA contract as he played every second in both overtimes and scored 5 of his 11 points in the second overtime. Council thrived as a back-cutter off Maxey’s rim gravity and strung together a series of incredible finishes where he split defenders with acrobatic spin moves and drew contact.
Philadelphia recorded a total of 79 points in the paint compared to San Antonio’s 52. Instead of taking their foot off the gas in this road back-to-back, the 76ers chipped away at the Spurs’ lead with rapid dribble penetration that not even Wembanyama could stop, especially from Maxey who was simply a lightning bolt off the point-of-attack.
The 76ers are heading back to Philadelphia to face the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. EST on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Mandatory Credit: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photos by Tim Heitman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Read More
Sixers, Flyers unveil first renderings for new arena on the old Spectrum site
The Sixers and Flyers officially have a face for their…
Report: 76ers keep 2029 pick swap rights with Clippers after NBA’s cap circumvention punishment
The 76ers are holding onto their 2029 first-round pick swap…
VJ Edgecombe is balling in the FIB World Cup Qualifying for the Bahamas
If you needed one more reason to be losing your…
Comments (0)