Tyrese Maxey took center stage Thursday night, pouring in 40 points and delivering the dagger - a clutch, left-handed layup with just 1.3 seconds on the clock - to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a dramatic 113-111 comeback win over the Sacramento Kings. It was the kind of performance that reminds you why Maxey’s name keeps popping up in All-Star conversations. And when the game was on the line, he didn’t flinch.
Joel Embiid wasn’t far behind in the heroics department, finishing with 37 points and coming up huge in the final seconds. After DeMar DeRozan missed a 14-footer that could’ve given the Kings the lead, Embiid secured the rebound with 5.2 seconds left. That’s when head coach Nick Nurse called timeout to draw up the final play - and it worked to perfection.
On their second attempt to inbound the ball, Kelly Oubre Jr. found Embiid at the top of the arc. Maxey, sprinting full speed from half-court, took the handoff and sliced through the lane for a lefty finish through contact from Precious Achiuwa. The and-one was the exclamation point on a furious fourth-quarter rally that saw Philly erase an 11-point deficit.
Paul George chipped in 15 points for the Sixers, who showed serious resilience down the stretch. Sacramento had taken control in the third quarter, outscoring Philly 38-28 to grab a 92-88 lead heading into the final frame. When Zach LaVine converted a three-point play with 7:44 to go, the Kings were up 103-92 and looked poised to snap their losing skid.
But the Sixers flipped the switch. Over the next few minutes, they outscored Sacramento 13-2, tying the game at 105 on a pair of Maxey free throws. From there, it was a back-and-forth battle until Maxey’s final burst sealed it.
For the Kings, Dennis Schroder led the way with 27 points and DeRozan added 25, but it wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding. Sacramento has now dropped seven straight and continues to struggle mightily on the road - they’re just 3-21 away from home and 0-4 on their current six-game trip.
The Sixers, meanwhile, are starting to find their rhythm with both Embiid and George healthy. This marked their second straight game with both stars in the lineup - George had lit it up with nine threes in Tuesday’s win over Milwaukee, tying a franchise record, while Embiid posted 29 points, nine boards, and five assists in that one.
Philadelphia was still without Quentin Grimes (right ankle sprain), while the Kings were missing several key pieces: Russell Westbrook (right foot soreness), Malik Monk (right ankle soreness), and Keegan Murray (left ankle sprain) were all sidelined.
Next up for Sacramento: a tough road test in Boston on Friday night. And after another close loss, the Kings will be searching for answers - and a much-needed win - before this road trip gets away from them completely.