Tyrese Maxey Scores 26 In First Game Back, As The 76ers Beat the Hornets in Gritty Fashion
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Who would’ve thought that in the last two games, the 76ers would have all five of their starters back in the homestretch of the season? Well, that’s what happened. In a crucial game between two teams fighting for a guaranteed play-in spot, the Sixers got their help back. Tyrese Maxey played his first game back since March 7, as well as Kelly Oubre Jr. It was the first time they would have everyone available since January 24, which was the day Paul George got suspended. They came into Charlotte to face the Hornets and got a much-needed, hard-fought win, which gave them the tiebreaker over Charlotte, and are now in a tie for 6th place over the Atlanta Hawks.
Philadelphia snapped the five-game winning streak the Hornets had in part with Tyrese Maxey scoring 26 points in his first game back, with seven rebounds and eight assists. Paul George was excellent as a two-way player tonight, with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals. And lastly, Joel Embiid continued his excellence since his return on Wednesday night, with 29 points, and a huge block late in the game, which was a key factor in the win.
The Sixers had a rough first quarter, except for Joel Embiid. He scored 14 out of the Sixers’ 25 points on nine shots and was targeted pretty hard by Lamelo Ball. Joel got him with an elbow to the head, which gave Embiid a technical foul. The Sixers did not shoot well on twos but shot well from three. Besides the early scoring from Joel, not much of the rotation did anything else. Tyrese Maxey scored four but did not take a jumper. Kelly Oubre came back in and instantly dropped two threes as his welcome back. The Hornets, meanwhile, shot 6-10 on threes, and were just drilling shots. Brandon Miller had 16 points and added three fouls to that. The Hornets ended the first on a 21-9 run.
The Sixers started the second down thirteen, but they put up a fight to make it close as they headed into halftime. Tyrese Maxey dropped 13 and went 3-4 from three, and he was definitely handling the finger issue better than the problem he had last season. Joel added seven giving him 21, and George scored nine which included two shots late. The Sixers managed to hold Charlotte off from scoring despite a spree of offensive rebounds, which gave the team a late swing. The Hornets have been the No. 1 overall team in rebounds since January 1st, and they showed that presence. Philadelphia went on a 16-4 run, but they still finished down by five. V.J. Edgecombe, who has been averaging 29/8/6 over his last four games, made only one three-pointer which were his only points of the first half. He got a shot rejected by Ryan Kalkbrenner when he got a chance.
The Sixers tied the game up to start the second half. George made a three and took another chance which was rebounded by Dominik Barlow to make both teams level. And then, the Hornets went on an 11-0 run, highlighted by two threes once again from Brandon Miller, which made Nick Nurse take a timeout. After the timeout, the Sixers let Moussa Diabate to change the outcome of the game, as it felt like they could not get the ball rolling one bit. Halfway through, they went on an 8-0 run. Edgecombe got five big points, and a three from George put the Sixers right back in it as the Hornets called a timeout. A 14-2 run wasn’t enough, as the Sixers still remained down five at the end of the third. Both teams scored 28, which you could say wasn’t a full meltdown, knowing the third-quarter problems the Sixers have had all year.
The strong end to the third carried over into the fourth. The Sixers started with Andre Drummond over birthday boy Adem Bona to start the third, in need of some desperate rebounding. The Hornets quickly called a timeout after just two minutes, after Grimes drilled a three-pointer followed by a Maxey poster over Miles Bridges, which tied the game once again. And then for the first time, the Sixers grabbed their first lead, courtesy of Maxey, which was provided by a huge block from Drummond. He stepped up when it mattered, providing some crucial minutes on both rebounding and defense. The Sixers brought Joel back in as both teams went back and forth late, trading threes and jumpers. Then it started to feel like the Hornets could not miss a single three-pointer. George hit a huge three late and came up with a huge defensive stop, and Miller’s shot was blocked by Embiid with just seven seconds left. Lamelo Ball’s shot was defended well by George, and his free throw gave the Sixers the 118-114 win.
The Sixers will be playing for another tiebreaker Monday night, when they will go to Miami to face the Heat. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Another important game lies ahead with only eight games remaining in the regular season.
Andrew Glover
Andrew is in his first year covering sports for Philly Sports Reports. He is a podcaster and a digital content creator. Right now, he is in his second semester at Temple University pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Production. He has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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