PHILADELPHIA — In a pivotal Easter Conference matchup, the Philadelphia 76ers outlasted the Miami Heat as Tyrese Maxey led the team with 28 while setting a franchise record in the process.
Winners of two straight, the Sixers returned to Philadelphia, where they played host to Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat. After breaking out to an early first-half lead, Philly needed all 48 to make it past Miami in a thriller that finished with a final score of 124-117.
From the opening tip, the Sixers were aggressive, something that the team and head coach Nick Nurse have consistently considered a non-negotiable. Tyrese Maxey was hunting for his shot from range while Embiid was working down low to get into an early groove as the star tandem scored the team’s first 13 points.
While this game was just one of 82, the Heat are among the Sixers’ most important matchups in the East, as they are among the teams vying to claim a top-six spot in the conference, where Philly currently sits, to avoid the NBA play-in tournament.
Especially on their home court, where the Sixers have struggled all season, a strong start was crucial to what turned out to be a winning effort.
Tyrese Maxey set a record tonight. Not a new career high or a Sixers’ single-season record, but a franchise record, passing the legendary Allen Iverson for the most threes made in franchise history.
Maxey has grown tremendously as a shooter since he was first drafted by Philadelphia. As the season has dragged on and the workload Maxey has endured, leading the NBA in minutes per game, has continued to increase, his legs have shown understandable wear, which has affected his three-point shot, among other areas.
Despite this exhaustion, Maxey has looked rejuvenated in each of the Sixers’ three-straight wins, leading to a fast first-quarter push to pass Iverson for the franchise lead.
Maxey struggled to find that same success outside of the first quarter but immortalized himself in the 76ers’ history books in this game, and the Sixers secured the win to boot.
Philadelphia will head to Boston on Sunday in a matchup that many have speculated may be the season debut of Celtics star Jayson Tatum. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. on Feb. 29.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats included in this article are via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass, Basketball Reference or Team Rankings. All salary information via Spotrac.
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