The Philadelphia 76ers(18-27) began their six-game homestand on Tuesday night, and they won their third straight when they defeated the Lakers(26-19) 118-104 at Wells Fargo Center.
Philadelphia, who had five players in double figures, led by as many as 25 points.
Tyrese Maxey led the way as he scored 27 of his game-high 43 points(15/26 FG) in the first half. He has now scored 25 points or more in 11 straight games and is playing at a high level.
The 76ers, who have battled injuries all season long, were without Joel Embiid and Paul George on Tuesday night. Without Embiid and George, Maxey is the number one option, and according to him, he’s up to the challenge of leading the team.
“I think early in the year I was kind of just like worried about what’s going on,” he said. “It was a lot going on, with injuries and all that, it just kind of sucks. But, now I just kind of have the mindset of whoever is out here is out here, we got to go out here and play extremely hard and give ourselves a chance to win the game. And I know that’s going to start with me, and I’m OK with that, I’m up for the challenge, I’m up for it. I’m blessed to be able to get up every single morning and do what I love to do…
“I don’t like to lose; y’all know that; I’ve said that like the last five years, but in my mind, I was like, ‘listen, coach, I’m going to go out here and coach up my teammates and make them feel like they want to play basketball, uplift them, and go out here and try to be the best version of myself, and help us win games,’ and I think that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Kelly Oubre Jr., who scored 20 points against the Lakers, thinks Maxey is playing confidently.
“I honestly think that he’s just comfortable, confident,” Oubre said. “He understands his role, and what he has to do out there. We lean on him a lot for the majority of the game. At the end of the day, it’s my job to help him make his job easier. I think the more we continue to do that, it eases the pressure off him, we can just all flow and feel good about it and just not necessarily rely on him doing everything. I think we’re coming into our own and together a little bit more to allow him to be freed up there.”
The 76ers have a great chance to reel off some wins during this homestand, but it won’t be easy. After they play the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, Philadelphia has the Nuggets, Celtics, Mavericks, and Heat. Those games won’t be easy, but the 76ers are playing better, so they have a chance to get some wins under their belt.
Notes:
-Maxey (15 points) and Guerschon Yabusele (10 points) combined to score all 25 of Philadelphia’s points in the first quarter. It’s the fourth time two 76ers teammates have combined to score all 25-plus points in any quarter since 1997-98.
-Yabusele finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Ricky Council IV added 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
-Philadelphia tallied 14 steals (tied for second-most this season), marking the team’s 24th game with at least 10 steals (third-most in the league). That marks the team’s most games with 10-plus steals in a single season since 2020-21 (30).
-LeBron James led the Lakers with 31 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists.
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