76ers Top Rockets In Back-And-Forth Overtime Affair Behind Joel Embiid’s Triple-Double
Jan 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives for a score against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
While it’s not 70 points, on the second anniversary of his historic 70-point performance, Joel Embiid recorded his ninth career triple-double to help lead the 76ers to a huge victory over the Rockets.
Over the past few weeks, the Philadelphia 76ers have finally gotten health on their side, and because of it, the team has potentially its deepest team in years. While the talent is there, the wins and, more importantly, the impressive wins haven’t been coming, as for every win, the 76ers have followed it up with an inconsistent performance.
However, tonight the 76ers came to play against one of the NBA’s best, the Houston Rockets. Both teams went back-and-forth all night, with the two needing overtime to decide a winner. Despite it being a close game all night, the 76ers were able to pull ahead in overtime and hang onto the win.
Embiid was the obvious player of the game, recording 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists for his ninth career triple-double, but 17 points in the fourth quarter and overtime from Tyrese Maxey was the big push the 76ers needed late. Maxey finished with 36 points on the night, while Kelly Oubre Jr. added 26 points as he’s recorded back-to-back games of 20 points or more for the first time this season.
As the game tipped off, Kevin Durant made his presence known with an early four-point play. Kelly Oubre Jr. was off to a hot start in the first, scoring eight of the 76ers’ first 12 points, and the three-pointers began dropping for both teams, with Jabari Smith Jr. and Josh Okogie both hitting them for Houston, and VJ Edgecombe and Maxey hitting triple for the 76ers.
Up one with two minutes to go in the quarter, the threes continued to drop for Houston with Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith both nailing long threes to extend their lead. However, the guy who started hot in the first closed out the frame on a high note as Oubre drilled another three for his 11th point of the quarter to cut the Rockets’ lead to 34-32 after 12 minutes.
The start of the second quarter saw little offense from both teams in the first minutes, as for Houston, only Durant could hit a shot, and for the 76ers, it was Joel Embiid. A three-point play from Quentin Grimes and a long triple from Reed Sheppard ended that run, and both teams continued answering each other’s shots as the quarter went along.
Two dunks from Amen Thompson and a layup by Eason put the Rockets back out in front by four with under three minutes until the break, but that small run from Houston finally got the 76ers awake. A driving floating jump shot from Maxey and a long three from Oubre put the 76ers back in front just like that. A dunk from Maxey and four consecutive points from Embiid extended the 76ers’ lead with seconds until the half, and the lead was extended just before the final buzzer sounded as Maxey picked up a steal and slammed home another dunk to make it 68-61 76ers after the first half.
At the start of the second half, the back-and-forth play continued from both teams, as Durant drilled back-to-back threes to open the quarter and Maxey scored five points of his own. Oubre’s impressive night continued as he scored a quick four points, but another three from Durant and dunks from Alperen Sengun and Smith made it a three-point game.
Four points from Oubre and two from Embiid put the 76ers back up nine with just over two minutes until the fourth quarter, but a 9-0 run, thanks to layups from Thompson and Eason and a three from Finney-Smith, tied the game at 88. As the final second ticked down, Paul George was able to knock down a mid-range jumper to put the 76ers ahead 90-88 after three quarters.
With just 12 minutes left to play, the 76ers started the fourth quarter on a strong note, scoring four quick points. However, led by two threes from Sheppard, the Rockets stormed back in front, thanks to a 12-0 run. While a layup from Embiid ended the scoreless run, the points kept coming from Houston as Durant hit a midrange shot and Sheppard drilled another three.
As time was winding down in the quarter, Maxey and Embiid powered the 76ers back into the game, cutting the deficit down to four and then to two with under two minutes to play. Maxey and Durant traded mid-range shots as the two teams entered the final minute, but a bad pass from Durant led to a fastbreak layup from Maxey to tie the game at 115.
On the ensuing possession, the 76ers locked up Durant, giving them the final shot of the quarter. On it, Maxey drove to the hole but was blocked by Durant. Despite it being a clear goaltending call, the refs did not call it, which meant we were heading to overtime.
In OT, the 76ers jumped out ahead thanks to a three from George and a layup from Edgecombe, but a three from Durant and a layup from Thompson tied things up at 120. A runner from Maxey put them back in front, and after a clutch block from George, Oubre slammed home a dunk to go up four with under a minute left.
Durant got three looks on the following possession, hitting the third to go down two, but two free throws and a steal and a slam from Maxey put the 76ers up six. A missed shot from Houston took all of the time off, as the 76ers hung on to the 128-122 win.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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