The Philadelphia 76ers pulled out a gritty overtime win against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, leaning on their stars in a game that had the energy of a postseason clash. The Sixers outscored Houston 13-7 in the extra period to seal a six-point victory, but the final score only tells part of the story. This one was about resilience, leadership, and a big-time performance from the reigning MVP.
Let’s start with Tyrese Maxey, who continues to evolve into one of the league’s most dynamic young guards. Maxey poured in 36 points, dished out 10 assists, and added three steals in a performance that showcased both his scoring touch and his growing command of the offense. He played with pace, poise, and confidence-three things you want to see from your lead guard in a tight game, especially one that goes into overtime.
Kelly Oubre Jr. gave the Sixers a huge lift as well. Efficient doesn’t even begin to describe his night-26 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including a blistering 4-of-5 from deep. He was active on both ends, crashing the boards and moving well off the ball, giving the Sixers exactly what they needed from a complementary scorer.
But make no mistake-this game belonged to Joel Embiid.
The big man turned in a triple-double for the ages: 32 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, plus a steal and a block. He was everywhere.
Whether it was muscling through double-teams in the post, finding open shooters from the elbow, or anchoring the defense in crunch time, Embiid reminded everyone why he's one of the most complete players in the league. And he did it while logging 46 minutes-the most he’s played in a regular season game in over three years.
That’s no small detail. For a player whose career has been defined as much by his dominance as by his injury history, this kind of workload-and this kind of performance-matters.
Head coach Nick Nurse called it “a pretty big step forward,” and he’s not wrong. Embiid’s health has always been the X-factor for Philly.
When he’s on the floor and moving like this, the Sixers are a different team.
It’s easy to forget how much time Embiid lost early in his career-two full seasons before he even played an NBA game, and four seasons with fewer than 40 games played. But now, with his body holding up and his game as polished as ever, the Sixers have to feel good about what’s ahead.
Especially with Maxey leveling up the way he has.
This version of Maxey-confident, aggressive, and in full control-isn’t just a nice story. It’s a game-changer. Pair that with a healthy Embiid playing at an MVP level, and Philadelphia suddenly looks like a team that can make real noise come playoff time.
Thursday night’s win wasn’t just another regular season W. It was a statement. The Sixers are finding their rhythm, their stars are shining, and if they can stay healthy, the rest of the East better be paying attention.