Tyrese Maxey took over when the Philadelphia 76ers needed it most, burying two 3-pointers in the final 1 1/2 minutes to help seal a 114-109 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Maxey finished with 27 points and delivered the kind of closing burst that flipped the game for Philadelphia. His second late triple stretched the Sixers’ cushion to 112-106 with 46 seconds left, putting the Pacers in a hole they couldn’t dig out of.
Joel Embiid added 21 points and 11 rebounds as Philadelphia improved to 4-1, overcoming a rough opening to the second half. VJ Edgecombe gave the Sixers a big lift before halftime, knocking down a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to send Philadelphia into the break up 62-52.
Indiana looked like a different team after halftime. The Pacers, who shot just 39% in the first half, came out firing with the first 17 points of the third quarter and surged ahead 69-62. By the end of the period, Indiana had built an 88-75 lead after outshooting Philadelphia 13 of 23 to 5 of 21 in the quarter.
But the Sixers flipped the script in the fourth. Maxey sparked the rally with a layup that tied it at 94, then put Philadelphia back on top by hitting two free throws for a 96-94 lead with 5:15 to play. From there, he kept delivering.
Andrew Nembhard returned after missing Monday’s loss at Milwaukee with neck soreness and posted 18 points and 14 assists. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 26 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 12 seconds left, while Aaron Nesmith added 18 points.
Indiana was again missing Tyrese Haliburton, who sat out with a left hamstring strain. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said he expected Haliburton will be out at least two weeks. Pacers center Ivica Zubac also missed his second straight game with a left ankle sprain.
The Pacers will be without Carlisle on Friday at Miami, too. He said he will be attending his father Preston Carlisle's celebration of life service in Ogdensburg, New York.
Assistant coach Lloyd Pierce will serve as head coach. Preston Carlisle died at age 96 on Oct.
Philadelphia returns home Friday to host the New York Knicks, while Indiana heads to Miami for a Friday night matchup against the Heat.
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