Online speculation about whether Maxey and Edgecombe liked each other started after a defensive miscommunication in the first quarter of Friday’s loss to Cleveland led to an open Donovan Mitchell three. Maxey and Edgecombe were caught on the bench having what appeared to be a heated conversation after the play.
But on Monday, after Maxey was named an All-Star starter, Edgecombe was the first person to reach out to him — telling reporters he set a 2 p.m. alarm just to make sure he found out right away whether Maxey had been named a starter so he could congratulate him.
Edgecombe woke up Maxey from his pregame nap trying to call him.
“I’m like, why is he calling me?” Maxey said pregame. “And I answer, and he’s screaming and showing me the TV. And I’m like, ‘OK.’ We chopped it up a little bit.”
And postgame, the two Sixers guards were having fun after the 113-104 win over the Pacers.
The 76ers must play with a sense of urgency against bad and/or undermanned teams.
Tyrese Maxey is a newly minted Eastern Conference NBA All-Star starter. But the Sixers point guard, and coach Nick Nurse, believe he has more to give.
And the Sixers need more production from their bench.
These things stood out in Monday’s 113-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Lack of energy
Maxey and Joel Embiid’s play, especially late in the game, enabled the Sixers (23-18) to avoid an embarrassing loss to the Pacers (10-34).
Maxey scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder also had four assists and four steals while playing 10 minutes, 35 seconds in the quarter.
In the quarter, Maxey was able to get to the paint more frequently and finish at the rim.
“We kind of opened the court up a little bit,” he said. “Me and Joel didn’t play a lot of two-man game. So it’s kind of like just getting him the ball, coming off screens, and doing that.”
But before Embiid reentered the game with 5:01 remaining, Maxey was paired with Quentin Grimes, Jabari Walker, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Adem Bona.
“And with that unit, I know I have to be ultra-aggressive for myself, for my teammates as well, getting to the paint, kicking it out, generating threes. That’s what I tried to do. Got a couple of corner threes with that group, and that’s good offense for us.”
For the game, Maxey made 12 of 24 shots to go with eight assists, four rebounds, a career-high eight steals, and one block.
“I was just trying to be aggressive, you know, make plays for my teammates,” Maxey said of his steals. “I think it gets us going when we get out in the open court [after stealing the ball] and get some easy baskets.”
Meanwhile, Embiid scored nine of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. The center also finished with nine rebounds and four assists.
But it was like the Sixers fell into a deep slumber against the Pacers before they took over.
Sixers center Joel Embiid poured in 30 points in a combeack win Monday over Indiana.
At the start of the game, they looked like a well-oiled machine.
Embiid had 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting. Oubre, who started in place of Paul George, had six points on 3-for-3 shooting. And Dominick Barlow had the other two points on 1-for-2 shooting, as the Sixers had an 18-15 lead with 6:19 remaining in the first quarter. They had made 9 of 12 shots at the time.
They couldn’t shake the Pacers and clung to a 33-30 lead heading into the second quarter. And things only got worse for the Sixers in the second. They shot 26.3% and trailed by as many as 10 points against the NBA’s second-worst team. Much of the defending Eastern Conference champions’ struggles are down to injuries.
On Monday, they were without Tyrese Haliburton (right Achilles tendon tear), Bennedict Mathurin (sprained right thumb), and Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture).
The Sixers struggled through 3-for-13 three-point shooting over the first three quarters. They ended up making 5 of 17.
But struggling against an undermanned squad isn’t uncommon.
On Jan. 5, they put forth an inexcusable effort against a Denver Nuggets team playing without its entire starting lineup and three key reserves.
This time, the Sixers woke up from their slumber and escaped with a nine-point victory. But they need to do a better job of putting teams away that have no business competing with them.
Maxey impacted the game in many ways on Monday. But the belief is that the sixth-year veteran is just scratching the surface.
“I think I’m most definitely nowhere close to where I could be, as far as basketball-wise,” Maxey said. “I feel like I can keep getting better. And my thing is I just want to be better. You know what I’m saying, for my teammates, for this organization, my family. And I know I have a coach, an organization, and teammates who believe in me. And when you have that, it kind of pushes you to be even better than what you are.”
Right now, he must do a better job of adjusting when teams trap him. But Maxey is most proud of his leadership and the strides he’s made on defense. He was a good defender growing up. But he’s found that the transition to the NBA has been more challenging.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey had a career-high eight steals in Monday’s win.
“I feel like I figured it out a little bit on how to be impactful,” he said, “and impact the game on the [defensive] end of the floor.”
But even though he needs to regain his rhythm, Maxey is in the midst of a career season.
He is third in the league in scoring (30.2 points per game), second in steals (2.1), and 15th in assists (6.7). He is also fourth in made three-pointers (140), and has scored at least 30 points in 19 of 39 games.
“We’re trying to give him every opportunity to be aggressive and go do his thing,” Nurse said. “And he’s very talented. And I keep saying there’s still a lot of room for growth, which I think is exciting.”
The Sixers were outscored 35-14 in bench points, and even that was misleading. They only had eight heading into the fourth quarter.
Grimes had five points on 1-for-7 shooting. Walker had five while making 2 of 5 shots. He was, by far, the most productive reserve, finishing with six rebounds and four steals. Bona (two points, 1-for-2 shooting) and Trendon Watford (two points, 1-for-4 shooting) were the other bench scorers.
Justin Edwards and Jared McCain didn’t attempt a shot after playing only the final 47 seconds. But the Sixers must get more production out of their bench if they expect to remain competitive.
When Tyrese Maxey first learned he could become an NBA All-Star Game starter, the 76ers point guard said it would be cool.
He talked about watching Joel Embiid start in an All-Star Game and how much he enjoyed watching his teammate’s experience.
“So if I’m blessed with the opportunity, I definitely won’t take it for granted,” Maxey said on Dec. 29.
The opportunity has become a reality.
Maxey learned Monday that he was named an Eastern Conference starter for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.
The starters were announced shortly after 2 p.m. on NBC/Peacock before the tipoff of the nationally televised game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers. The All-Star reserves, selected by the league’s coaches, will be announced at a later date. The game will be played on Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
“I’m very thankful for it, blessed,” Maxey said before Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. “I appreciate everybody who voted for me, the people who believed in me. I’m thankful for my teammates, this organization for allowing me to kind of lead them and try to be a better version of a franchise and organization they were last year.”
Usually taking his pregame nap at 2 p.m., Maxey was asleep when the All-Star Game starters were revealed. But he could hear his ringer going off while teammate VJ Edgecombe tried to call him multiple times.
“I’m like, why is he calling me?” he said. “And I answer, and he’s screaming and showing me the TV. And I’m like, ‘OK.’ We chopped it up a little bit. I was thankful for that. Then my mom called me, and then I said, ‘Listen, I’m going back to sleep. I have work tonight.’
“But I’m thankful, man. I’m just thankful that my support system and everybody who is around me, and my very thankful for that.”
Maxey becomes the first Sixers guard selected to start an All-Star Game since Hall of Famer Allen Iverson in 2010. Iverson, however, did not play because his daughter, Messiah, was ill. The last time the Sixers had a player voted to start in the event was Embiid in 2024. He didn’t play because of a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Maxey made his first All-Star team that season as a reserve. But after missing the cut last season, he’ll be a two-time All-Star.
Fans accounted for 50% of the vote to determine the 10 starters. A media panel and NBA players each accounted for 25% of the vote. This season, All-Stars are selected regardless of position.
Tyrese Maxey is lifted up by Adem Bona after the Sixers beat the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 4.
Denver Nuggets center and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and Milwaukee Bucks forward and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo are the leading vote-getters in their respective conferences.
The starters from the Eastern Conference are Maxey, Antetokounmpo, New York Knicks point guard and former Villanova standout Jalen Brunson, Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham, and Boston Celtics small forward Jaylen Brown.
“I guess you could say it’s one of the goals for sure, but my main goal is for us to win,” Maxey said of being a starter. “The rest of that will come. I feel like if I’m healthy and we can win games and stay afloat and try to get to a playoff spot and do something special there, all of the accolades and all that stuff will appear.”
For the Western Conference, the starters are Jokić, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Luka Dončić, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.
Maxey finished second in the fan voting among Eastern Conference players. He was third in the media voting and fifth in the player voting.
The sixth-year veteran’s 2,941,622 fan votes were the most by an American player.
“Thanks, fellow Americans,” Maxey said upon hearing the news. “I appreciate y’all. That’s love. I appreciate y’all.”
The Texas native said he’s “blessed” to earn that type of popularity.
“I have great teammates, great organization that believes in me,” Maxey said. “I just give grace to God every single morning to be able to at least wake up and do what I love every single day. And I just work extremely hard to be in this position.”
Under a new format, the All-Star Game will feature a U.S. vs. World competition, consisting of two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games.
It’s not surprising that Maxey was voted an All-Star starter.
He entered Monday third in the league in scoring (30.3 points per game), tied for third in steals (1.9), and 15th in assists (6.7). He’s also fourth in made three-pointers (139), and has scored at least 30 points in 19 of 38 games.
“Look at his stats and what he’s been doing the whole season,” teammate Quentin Grimes said. “From Game 1 to Game 41 today, he’s been probably a top-three player in the league right now. So just seeing him go out every night has been really fun to go out there and watch.”
Maxey’s season highlight came Nov. 20 when he scored a career-high 54 points, to go with nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, and three blocks in a 123-114 overtime victory over the Bucks. He joined Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (March 18, 1968) as the only players in franchise history to produce at least 50 points and nine assists in a game.
Sixers point guard Tyrese Maxey finished second in the Eastern Conference fan voting, third in media voting and fifth in player voting. Here are NBA All-Star Starters Voting Results: pic.twitter.com/WjMC8hGLpv
Monday’s game against the Toronto Raptors showed who the 76ers could be.
Wednesday and Friday’s matchups against the Cleveland Cavaliers revealed who they are currently.
As much as their talent level has improved because of health and key offseason additions, these Sixers still don’t know which version of themselves will show up on any particular night, a reality they were reminded of in a 117-115 loss to the Cavs on Friday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
With Cleveland playing without two-time All-Star Darius Garland (right big toe soreness) and key reserve Sam Merrill (sprained right hand), the Sixers should have been able to make up ground on the fourth-place Raptors (25-18). Instead, they’re seventh in the standings.
Fortunately for the Sixers (22-18), there are 42 games remaining in the regular season.
But if it concluded today, they would be bound for the play-in tournament for the second time in three seasons. Last year, the Sixers missed the postseason entirely. And with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Jared McCain over last season’s injuries, the hope was that the squad would be a contender in the East.
At times, they appear to be. But this season has been a roller coaster of inconsistency.
The Sixers will resume play at home Monday against the Indiana Pacers in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day game (6 p.m., NBCSP). On paper, they should defeat the Pacers, who have the NBA’s second-worst record of 10-33.
Entering this week’s games, it’s unclear if Joel Embiid (21) will play against the Pacers or the Suns.
But there are several questions the Sixers will face.
Will Embiid and George play against Indiana or on Tuesday versus the Phoenix Suns, given they haven’t been cleared to play on both nights of back-to-backs?
Can they resemble the Sixers squad that rarely missed a shot while scoring 80 first-half points in Monday’s 115-102 victory over the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena?
Or will they come out sluggish and fail to match their opponent’s intensity, as they did in Wednesday’s 133-107 loss to the Cavs (24-19)?
And will they’ll fail to close out the game as they did in Friday’s loss and in several other winnable games?
“I think seven or eight [games] this year, where we just had [it] in our hands and then slip away,” Tyrese Maxey said. “Two Detroit games up in the fourth quarter, let them slip away. Chicago [on Nov. 16], same thing. Two of those games, let them slip, and Toronto as well [on Sunday]. Both times, had them beat, kind of let the game slip away. It’s probably more. Just those are the ones that come on top of my head, but those hurt.”
On Friday, the Sixers had an 11-point cushion with 8 minutes, 47 seconds remaining. After the teams traded baskets, the Sixers missed six straight shots, as Cleveland tied the score at 102.
The Sixers responded by making four consecutive baskets to build a 111-104 cushion with 3:53 left. But they fell apart down the stretch, turning the ball over before missing five of their final six shots.
Something to remember: The Sixers have only played with a full complement of key players in their last six games. Even that’s a bit misleading, with Dominick Barlow leaving early in the third quarter of Wednesday’s game with a bruised back. That ugly setback came after the Sixers briefly looked like they’d turned the corner.
On Monday, the Sixers were on top of their game against the Raptors as the ball moved freely and they boasted balanced scoring. Maxey finished with a game-high 33 points on 10-for-16 shooting. Rookie VJ Edgecombe, his backcourt mate, added 15 points while making 5 of 6 three-pointers.
But the standout duo, considered among the league’s best young backcourts, failed to have the same scoring impact against Cleveland. Edgecombe had nine points on 3-for-10 shooting on Wednesday — and missed five of six three-pointers. He finished with 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting on Friday. However, only two of his shot attempts came after intermission. The shooting guard didn’t attempt a shot while logging 7:19 in the third quarter, and shot 1-for-2 while playing the entire fourth quarter.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) averaged 18 points on 35.9% shooting in the past two games.
Meanwhile, Cleveland appears to be Maxey’s Kryptonite.
The point guard, an All-Star in 2023-24, entered Saturday as the league’s third-leading scorer at 30.3 points per game. However, he averaged 18 points on 35.9% shooting — including making just 4 of 16 three-pointers — in the past two games.
“They do a good job on all my ball screens, and they just put a lot of attention on me,” Maxey said of his struggles against the Cavs. “So it’s a lot of times, even when I’m coming off a ball screen with Joel, and Jarrett Allen’s guarding him … I’m throwing it back to Joel. So, I mean, that was that, and then I missed some good looks tonight.”
Maxey and the Sixers will attempt to regroup during this week’s games against the Pacers, Suns, Houston Rockets (Thursday), and New York Knicks (Saturday). They should have a great opportunity to climb up the standings with all four of those contests at home, but the Sixers are 10-11 at Xfinity and 12-7 on the road.
The 76ers relish the opportunity to play the Cleveland Cavaliers again on Friday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The matchup will be two days after the Sixers lost, 133-107, to the Cavaliers at the same venue. It was the Sixers’ fifth series loss in six meetings against Cleveland.
“So, absolutely [excited] to get a chance to play them again,” Paul George said. “It’s a test for us. And, you know, see how we respond.”
Donovan Mitchell finished with a game-high 35 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists on Wednesday. The six-time All-Star has scored 35, 46, and 37 points in his last three games vs. the Sixers. And he’s averaging 28.0 points and 6.6 assists in 10 games against the Sixers (22-17) after being traded to Cleveland (23-19) from the Utah Jazz on Sept. 3, 2022.
Meanwhile, Evan Mobley had 17 points and game highs of 13 rebounds and four blocks on Wednesday for his 15th double-double of the season. The 7-foot power forward and reigning defensive player of the year has averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in his last five games against the Sixers.
But the All-Stars aren’t alone in their dominance.
Cleveland had five double-figure scorers, shot 53.3% — including 18 of 44 three-pointers — in a 132-121 victory over the Sixers on Nov. 5. On Wednesday, they shot 52.6%, and made 20 of 46 three-pointers. Their 41 assists on Wednesday were the most an opposing team has posted against the Sixers this season.
Tyrese Maxey was shut down in the Sixers’ loss to the Cavaliers, producing only 14 points on 5 of 16 shooting.
“It wasn’t just a win, but how we played,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Forty-one assists on 50 made baskets is kind of college basketball [numbers] the way we moved it.
“And defensively, we were good.”
They shut down Tyrese Maxey (14 points on 5-for-16 shooting) and VJ Edgecombe (nine points on 3-for-10) on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers showed Maxey two defenders several times to get the ball out of his hands quickly.
“I started off slow, kind of, energy-wise, and let them kind of box me in a little bit,” said Maxey, who had nine points on 3-for-10 at halftime. “But, yeah, sometimes you just got to make the right plays. I felt like some times I came off, and there were two or three bodies, and I just got off the ball.
“That’s how I play basketball. If I see multiple bodies and I don’t think I have an advantage, like, somebody else on my team should have an advantage.”
And as in the teams’ previous meeting, Wednesday’s outcome was all but decided after three quarters.
Nick Nurse is eager to see how the Sixers respond on Friday.
“I think it’s a great test for us,” the coach said. “It’s a great test for us to see if we can snap out of the energy funk that we were in [Wednesday night] and dig in and guard something and execute something on offense because we didn’t … scheme right or execute right.”
Sixers power forward Dominick Barlow missed most of Wednesday’s game after suffering a back contusion early in the third quarter. Barlow was expected to have an MRI on Thursday. His injury is a tough blow for the Sixers, as he is a solid glue guy who started alongside George, Joel Embiid (20 points), Edgecombe, and Maxey.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s Darius Garland (right foot) and Sam Merrill (right hand) also left the game because of injuries. Atkinson said he doubts that they’ll play on Friday.
“Dom is a big piece for us, but it is, it’s another gut punch, man, that somebody else goes down,” said George, whose squad has dealt with injuries all season. “Soon as we finally start to get healthy and there’s some consistency with the starting group. It’ll be another starting group come Friday, so that has been a challenge.”
Donovan Mitchell had 35 points and nine assists, Darius Garland scored 20 points before leaving with an injured foot and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the 76ers 133-107 on Wednesday night.
Garland was ruled out for the game late in the third quarter when he hurt his right foot diving for a loose ball. Garland already had surgery in June on the injured left big toe that hampered him during Cleveland’s exit from the playoffs last season.
The All-Star guard averaged 17.9 points after a slow start this season as he recovered from surgery. Garland continued his recent hot streak and shot 8-for-13 against the Sixers.
Joel Embiid scored 20 points and hit a three-pointer that helped him reach 13,000 career points, the seventh player in team history to hit that mark.
Paul George had 17 points for the Sixers in the opener of a two-game series.
Sixers fans booed the team off the court in the third quarter headed into a timeout and trailing 75-53.
Sixers center Joel Embiid (center) scored his 13,000th point against the Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Tyrese Maxey and Quintin Grimes hit a pair of threes during a 10-0 run and Embiid — who just earlier landed his 7-foot-2 frame on two rows of unsuspecting fans when he dove for a loose ball — buried a three of his own that made it 79-66.
The good times were short-lived, and fans headed for the exits as the Cavs stretched the lead to 22 midway through the fourth.
Sixers forward Dominick Barlow needed help up from the court and into the locker room after his legs gave out on him and he landed hard on his back and head on a driving layup attempt. He suffered a back contusion.
De’Andre Hunter hit early threes that stretched Cleveland’s lead to 30-14 and 60-47 headed into halftime. Hunter and Evan Mobley both scored 17 points. Mobley grabbed 13 rebounds.
The teams play again Friday at Xfinity Mobile Arena (7 p.m., ESPN).
Those things stood out in Monday’s 115-102 victory over the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.
Better with Embiid and George
Early in the season, some questioned if the Sixers played better without Joel Embiid. The team lost its first four matchups when the Big Three of Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George all played. So there were some doubts about the group’s ability to lead the squad.
But if the starts of the last two games they played together have proven one thing, it’s that the Sixers (22-16) are actually a way better team with them in the lineup.
The Sixers looked lost without the full trio early on during Sunday’s 116-115 overtime loss to the Raptors (24-17). But on Monday, the Sixers looked like a bona fide Eastern Conference championship contender.
“Opened the floor up,” Maxey said to reporters about the presence of Embiid and George on Monday night. “And you’ve got to guard them. You’ve got to guard them every [second] out there on the court. That opened up the game for everybody else.”
Sixers center Joel Embiid (left) defends Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles during the first half.
Maxey scored 18 of his game-high 33 points in the first quarter in Monday’s rout. Embiid tallied 11 of his 27 points in the frame, while George had eight of his 15.
Following their lead, the Sixers shot 14-for-17 — including going 7 of 8 on three-pointers — and made all 10 free throws while ending the first quarter with a 45-28 advantage.
The Sixers built a 31-point second-quarter cushion before taking an 80-51 halftime lead. Their 80 points were the most of any half since scoring 80 in the first half against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 13, 2022.
But Embiid (left knee injury management and left groin soreness) and George (left knee soreness) missed Sunday’s game. And the Sixers struggled mightily without them to start the game.
They shot 37.8% from the field — including making just 2 of 14 three-pointers — in the first half. They had six assists and nine turnovers in the half. The Sixers finished with 22 turnovers compared to just 11 assists that night.
On Monday, they had 22 assists and 16 turnovers. Most important, the Sixers have won three straight and six of their last seven games when the Big Three play.
The Sixers’ Paul George (right) fouls Raptors forward Brandon Ingram during the first half of Monday’s game.
In addition to shooting 9-for-17, Embiid had eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and seven turnovers. George made 5 of 13 shots, along with four rebounds, six assists, and one turnover.
Top road scorer
Maxey is the league’s top road scorer, averaging 32.1 points in his 18 games away from Xfinity Mobile Arena. His highlight was the career-high 54 points scored against the Bucks on Nov. 20 in Milwaukee.
But he had an impressive showing during this back-to-back series against Toronto. The All-NBA caliber point guard’s 33 points came after finishing with a game-high 38 on Sunday.
Tyrese Maxey continued his mighty scoring campaign in tonight's @sixers win!
On Monday, Maxey made 10 of 16 shots — including shooting 6-for-9 on three-pointers — along with four rebounds, two assists, and one turnover. It was his 19th performance with at least 30 points.
Excelling on the road in hostile environments is a valuable trait, especially for a team that will play eight of its 11 games in February away from home.
Edgecombe headed into Monday night’s game as the NBA leader in loose balls recovered with 45. He was also ninth in the league in steals at 1.6 per game. And the 6-foot-5 shooting guard ranked third among rookies in scoring (16.1).
“VJ’s probably two biggest qualities, or one, he does a little bit of everything,” coach Nick Nurse told the media before Sunday’s game. “He really can defend. He makes plays. He’ll rebound and block shots, steal the ball. He’ll shoot threes and make big buckets. He does a lot of everything well.
“And two, he’s super composed. He kind of has the same demeanor all the time, same work ethic all the time. He walks around like a guy that’s been in the league 10 years.”
Edgecombe’s versatility was on full display on Monday.
The 20-year-old scored 15 points on 5-for-6 three-point shooting. He also had a team-high eight assists, one steal, and two turnovers.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe (right) defends the Raptors’ Immanuel Quickley on Monday night.
Greatest Raptor
Lowry made his imprint as an NBA player during his nine seasons in Toronto. In Canada, he’s regarded as the greatest Raptor of all-time for being a six-time All-Star and leading the franchise to its only NBA title in 2019. And the fans still adore him whenever he returns to face his former squad.
Before Sunday’s game, Lowry spoke to the media for close to 10 minutes. He talked about everything from playing in his 20th season to mentoring the Sixers’ young players, his relationship with former Raptors teammates Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, and his thoughts on one day seeing his No. 7 Raptors jersey retired and hanging in the Scotiabank Arena rafters.
“If it does, it will be a super emotional day,” he told the media. “I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into that 7. And to know it probably won’t ever be worn again will be pretty special. I think something for my basketball legacy is pretty, pretty, pretty darn cool.”
Lowry didn’t play on Sunday. But his appearance on Monday was one for the ages for the 39-year-old in his 20th NBA season.
While he hasn’t mentioned anything about retirement, there’s a sense that this could be his last game played in that arena. And the 18,127 in attendance let the North Philly native know how much they still love him.
The Raptors fans began chanting “We want Kyle” in reference to Nurse inserting him into the game during the midway point of the fourth quarter. Then, with 2 minutes 30 seconds left, there were louder chants. Those chants continued until the Sixers inserted him with 1:57 left to a standing ovation.
He missed his three shot attempts, but got another standing ovation while holding the ball in the closing seconds. Lowry walked off the court clutching the game ball.
“It was a great team win for us,” Lowry said to reporters. “And, you know, I got an opportunity to experience probably one of the greatest basketball moments of my personal career.”
TORONTO — Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points, Joel Embiid had 27 and the 76ers used an 80-point first half to beat the Toronto Raptors 115-102 on Monday night.
VJ Edgecombe and Paul George each scored 15 points as the Sixers bounced back from Sunday’s overtime loss to Toronto to win for the sixth time in eight games.
Embiid (left knee and left groin) and George (left knee) were back in the lineup after sitting out Sunday.
Fans chanted “We want Lowry!” in the fourth quarter, then rose for a standing ovation when former Raptors player Kyle Lowry checked in for Maxey with 1 minute, 57 seconds left to play.
Lowry starred for the Toronto team that won the 2019 NBA championship. He airballed a three-pointer on his first attempt and missed all three shots he took.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey (left) scored a game-high 33 points.
Immanuel Quickley scored 18 points and Brandon Ingram had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Scottie Barnes scored 15 points for Toronto.
Philadelphia’s 80 first-half points were the most by a Raptors opponent this season. The 76ers made 27 of 37 field goals in the opening half, including 13 of 20 from long range, and shot 13 -for-13 at the free throw line.
Maxey scored 18 points in the first quarter to help Philadelphia build a 45-28 lead after one. He connected on 6 of 7 attempts, including 3 of 4 from distance.
After shooting 8 for 31 from long range Sunday, the Sixers combined to make 7 of 8 three-pointers in the first. They followed that by making four straight to begin the second.
Ingram returned after missing two games because of a sore right thumb. RJ Barrett (left thumb) sat for the second straight game.
Philadelphia’s biggest lead was 33 points, 87-54, after an Edgecombe three with 8:24 remaining in the third.
The Sixers host the Cleveland Cavaliers (22-19) on Wednesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena (7 p.m., ESPN).
The Sixers (21-16) were trending in the right direction after winning two straight and five of their last six games heading into this matchup. And with Tyrese Maxey scoring a game-high 38 points, they appeared capable of overcoming the huge absences of Joel Embiid (left knee injury management/left groin soreness) and Paul George (left knee soreness).
But an inability to close out the game reared its ugly head.
Maxey hit a what appeared to be a 29-foot dagger three-pointer to give the Sixers a 107-103 cushion with 20.1 seconds left.
However, they failed to inbound the ball. The Raptors (24-16) won two challenges and made two baskets to force overtime.
The Sixers built a 112-108 lead with 2 minutes, 23 seconds remaining in overtime. But the Raptors responded with a 7-0 run to take a 115-112 lead after the Sixers missed two shots and committed a costly turnover.
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (left) led the team in points with 31 against the Sixers.
VJ Edgecombe made a 30-foot three-pointer to knot the score at 115. However, Scottie Barnes got away with initiating contact with Oubre, who was called for a foul, on a drive with 0.8 seconds left.
Barnes, who finished with 31 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, made the first foul shot and intentionally missed the second to win the game.
The Sixers committed 22 turnovers and made just 8 of 31 three-pointers. But they were ultimately doomed by poor late-game execution. Something they need to correct.
“We just got to be better, be more disciplined and stay together in those moments where we’re facing a little bit of adversity, because we both made runs,” Oubre said to reporters. “But you know, theirs was the final shot.”
Barnes will get the credit for winning Sunday’s game. However, the Raptors backcourt of Immanuel Quickley and Jamal Shead had their way with the Sixers guards. Quickley finished with 20 points and seven assists, while Shead had 22 and six assists.
The duo had several downhill drives in the lane. If they couldn’t score, they kicked the ball out to teammates. Late in the game, Shead and Quickley drove the lane. Once the Sixers provided help defense, the guard would dump the ball off to a big man for a dunk.
“We just got out of position on some of that,” coach Nick Nurse said to reporters. “I felt we went to help a little too early, and obviously left too big a passing lane for those dumboffs late.”
But it started with the Sixers guards needing to do a better job of keeping opposing perimeter players in front of them.
Before missing 22 games with a sprained left knee ligament, Oubre was the quiet assassin for the Sixers. The 6-foot-8 small forward averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in his first 12 games. In addition to excelling when the ball was moving, Oubre did a solid job of guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
He returned on Wednesday and provided solid defense that night against the Washington Wizards and again on Friday vs. the Orlando Magic. However, he averaged one point on a combined 1-for-9 shooting in those two games.
Toronto Raptors guard Alijah Martin, left, strips the ball from Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. during overtime.
He had the complete package against the Raptors.
Oubre finished with 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting to go with five rebounds and season highs of four steals and three blocks in his third game back. Nine of his points came in the third quarter.
“He hasn’t really scored much since being back, so that’s obviously nice to see,” Nurse said. “He even hit a three, but had some really nice drives. He had a couple of good blocks and steals as well, which is why we ended up playing him as much as we did down the stretch.”
He’ll go back to being an X-factor if he can keep this up.
“It definitely felt good,” Oubre said. “It’s just, I think I could be better. I got blocked because I’m not trusting myself and the work that I put in.
“So you know, just watching film, continue to just show up every day and get better. That’s all I can do. But it definitely felt good to get some run.”
Well, it’s not the same season it was seven weeks ago, is it?
On Nov. 26, the 76ers were in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 9-8 record. They also were a day removed from a 144-103 loss to the Orlando Magic at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The 41-point drubbing was their worst home loss since a 135-87 drubbing at the hands of the Boston Celtics on Feb. 15, 2022. At the time, Joel Embiid missed eight consecutive games with right knee soreness. Kelly Oubre Jr. also was sidelined with a sprained left knee ligament. And Paul George had only played in three games because of left knee injury management and a sprained ankle.
Whatever their chances were of contending for a conference championship, they’re drastically improved.
In the team’s first meeting since the November rout, the Sixers defeated the Magic, 103-91, on Friday at the Kia Center. The fifth-place squad has a 21-15 record and is a half-game game behind the fourth-place Toronto Raptors entering the teams’ two-game series on Sunday and Monday at Scotiabank Arena.
Embiid is listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup against the Raptors (23-16) with left knee injury management. Not having been cleared previously to play on back-to-back nights, Embiid is expected to miss one of the matchups in Toronto. However, his current six-game streak is the longest since playing six straight from Jan. 15-25, 2024.
Meanwhile, Oubre returned on Wednesday after missing 22 games. And now healthy and back to playing at a high level, George has shown signs of why the Sixers gave him a four-year, $211.5 million contract last summer to form a Big Three with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
But …
Rookie shooting guard VJ Edgecombe has been playing so well that we might want to reconsider adding him to the group and renaming it the Big Four.
Not only are the Sixers the healthiest they’ve been in some time, but they all know and have accepted their roles, which has enabled them to thrive. And from a team culture standpoint, the Sixers have come a long way from the squad that had a well-publicized team meeting after a 106-89 road loss to the Miami Heat on Nov. 18, 2024.
Joel Embiid has played in six consecutive games. It is his longest streak since playing in six straight from Jan. 15-25, 2024.
In that meeting, Maxey called out Embiid for being late for team functions. Players also told coach Nick Nurse and his staff that they wanted to be coached harder. In turn, the coaches said they wanted the players to practice with purpose and attention to detail.
So far this season, things have seemed like a love fest. Players have built bonds playing video games and blossomed into each other’s biggest supporters.
On the court, Maxey, who entered Saturday as the league’s third-leading scorer at 30.7 points per game, has supplanted Embiid as the No. 1 option.
But Embiid is moving better, and George is excelling in his role. The Sixers have benefited from those things.
After starting 0-4 in games the Big Three played in this season, the Sixers have gone 5-1 with them.
“I think Tyrese is kind of always going to be like explosive and scoring, pretty much, his speed and energy,” Nurse said. “But when we get to Joel in a few situations, you know he’s either going to get a bucket or a foul for a stretch. That gives our team a lot of confidence. And you shift over and give PG the ball a couple of times, then he gets a couple of buckets. And [the opposing players] are not quite sure where you are going to hit them from. … You still have to worry about some of the other guys out there, too.”
Nurse could be referring to Edgecombe, sixth man Quentin Grimes, and Oubre, once he regains his rhythm.
Embiid (23.5 points per game) is the team’s second-leading scorer, followed by Edgecombe (16.1), George (16.0), Oubre (14.5), and Grimes (14.5).
But now that they’re healthy, the Sixers have a chance, on paper, to be the deepest squad of Nurse’s three-year tenure.
Dominick Barlow, Jared McCain, Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, Jabari Walker, Trendon Watford, Justin Edwards, and Eric Gordon also have made solid on-court contributions.
Quentin Grimes has provided a huge lift off the Sixers bench.
In addition to staying on the Raptors’ heels, Friday’s victory gave the Sixers the 2-1 head-to-head tiebreaker over the Magic. That could be valuable if the Sixers and Orlando finish the season with the same record.
“It’s still early in the season,” Embiid said. “It’s kind of hard to start thinking about tie breaks and all that, but it’s good. Obviously, we’re right there with them. Our aim is to keep winning and keep climbing up the standings, and they happen to do the same thing, and if that’s needed. I guess that’s a good thing.”
But it’s even better for them that the season is not the same as it was seven weeks ago.
