Tyrese Maxey raced down the court and flicked it off the glass for an easy layup as the red light illuminated the backboard. The lightning-quick point guard had just put the finishing touches on a 122-119 overtime victory.
The Philadelphia 76ers — winners of five straight and 15-3 since December 26 — hold the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies without MVP Joel Embiid. They have won 31 games without All-Star Ben Simmons. No one should count them out. Ever.
“Don’t count us out,” Tobias Harris said. “That’s it.”
Maxey’s driving layup with 26.4 seconds left put the Sixers up 120-119. Then, after a Memphis three-pointer rimmed out, Matisse Thybulle secured the rebound with 2.1 seconds. He flung the ball up in the air, Tom Brady style, to a streaking Maxey who finished the job. The 21-year-old was the star of the game after finishing with 33 points and eight assists. Maxey exploded to the rim on every possession, gutting out six points in overtime while out-dueling Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
Tyrese Maxey on his running layup as time expired in OT: “I wish I had enough energy to dunk it. I was like I can’t dunk it. I have nothing left in the tank. This is going to be a layup … but our fans are great. They show up every night no matter who we’re playing.” #Sixers
His final bucket ignited a raucous scene at Wells Fargo Center where Embiid was the first one to rush the court in celebration. The All-Star center was given a much-needed rest day after suiting up in 21 straight contests. Andre Drummond (16 points, 23 rebounds) started in his place.
“I don’t want to make his head any bigger than it already is, but he’s a hell of a basketball player,” Andre Drummond said of Maxey. “He’s a great leader at such a young age. He has a lot on his shoulders being in the position he’s in, to carry an entire team. He’s a great basketball player and I’m happy he’s my point guard.”
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Drummond Challenged Tobias Harris
After the game, Drummond revealed that he had challenged Harris to score 30 points against Memphis. He knew they were going to need every inch of the 6-foot-8 forward to make up for Embiid’s production. The Eastern Conference Player of the Week had averaged 34.7 points and 11.7 rebounds over his last three games.
Andre Drummond jokingly says Tobias’ 31 wasn’t enough. Says he should’ve had 35.
(He’d fit right in on Sixers Twitter ™️)
“I told him he needed 30 points today and he did it,” Drummond said, referring to their conversation at shootaround. “I don’t think there’s anything else that needs to be said about that. I told him we needed 30 or we weren’t winning the game.”
Harris delivered with 31 points in 40 minutes. He added five boards and two blocks on 12-of-25 shooting. He chuckled as he recalled his chat with Drummond.
“I told him with Joel out we needed an extra 50 points really,” Harris said. “Tyrese, he helped out in that regard but just great effort from everybody.”
Embiid to Maxey: ‘Stay Aggressive’
Drummond wasn’t the only one sending messages to his teammates during shoot-around. Embiid got in Drummond’s ear about the need to step up, then he walked over to Maxey and stressed the importance of seizing the moment. The locker room came into the game determined not to let their MVP down. Trust the Process.
THEY HATE THE PROCESS but We will keep thriving….. Great Dub!! HELL YEAA
“Joel’s excited. He’s a great teammate,” Maxey said. “This year, I feel like he’s being a really, really good leader. He told Andre today that he needed him and Andre said, ‘I got you today.’ Joel needed his rest and he told me to be aggressive, don’t hesitate, just out there and be you. He’s our MVP.”
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Sixers’ Big Man on Tyrese Maxey: ‘I’m Happy He’s My Point Guard’