Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 42 points and the Philadelphia 76ers, without Joel Embiid, outlasted the host Houston Rockets 131-127 on Friday.
While Maxey blitzed the Rockets throughout and Tobias Harris added 22 points, seven assists, four steals and three blocked shots, it was the play of the bench that enabled the 76ers to survive a fourth quarter that featured nine lead changes and six ties.
Philadelphia’s Patrick Beverley drilled a corner 3-pointer for a 121-120 lead, and Marcus Morris Sr. delivered the knockout blow with a four-point play with 31.6 seconds left, pushing the lead to 127-122.
Beverley and Morris combined for 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting to supplement Maxey and Harris.
Fred VanVleet paced the Rockets with 33 points — making a season-high eight 3-pointers — and 10 assists. Jalen Green added 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting. Alperen Sengun had 28 points and eight assists before fouling out with 11.8 seconds left as Houston took its third loss in a row.
The 76ers improved to 2-1 without Embiid, who will remain sidelined due to an ankle injury when the team plays Saturday at Chicago.
The wild back-and-forth started in the third quarter when a VanVleet 3-pointer capped an 11-2 Houston run that produced a 78-68 lead. Philadelphia responded with an 11-2 run of its own, but the Rockets surged to a 97-86 edge late in the third on another VanVleet trey and a transition basket from Tari Eason.
Late baskets from Morris and Robert Covington enabled the 76ers to cut the margin to seven entering the fourth, and Philadelphia opened the final frame with an 11-4 run that netted a 101-101 deadlock on a Harris 6-footer with 8:08 remaining.
VanVleet had 11 points and three assists in the opening period, which ended with Houston up 32-26.
Maxey scored the first seven points of the second for the 76ers and 12 of their opening 13. His pull-up 17-footer with 7:45 left in the half bumped his total to 20 points, more than half of the 76ers’ 39. When Maxey completed a three-point play with 54.1 seconds left in the half, the 76ers pulled even at 60-60.
Kelly Oubre Jr. gave Philadelphia its first lead by sinking a pair of free throws at the 37.1-second mark, but Green answered with a 3-pointer that provided Houston a 63-62 halftime lead. Maxey tallied 19 points in the second quarter and had 27 in the half to keep the 76ers in contention.
–Field Level Media
