The Philadelphia 76ers looked dead on their feet, down late against the Charlotte Hornets, but pulled off an insane 109-104 come-from-behind victory on Saturday evening. Tyrese Maxey dropped a monstrous 38 points, igniting the offense when they desperately needed it, especially after the team looked like it was running on fumes through much of the game.
Maxey’s Early Spark and the Battle for the Lead
This was the second game of a back-to-back for Philly, coming off a win against the Knicks at home, and the fatigue was definitely showing. Without Joel Embiid or LeBron James for this contest, the Sixers started shaky, looking sluggish as Charlotte caught fire with some hot shooting. Jaylen Brown was back in action, but even he seemed a bit out of sorts at times, adding to the early struggles. Good thing the Hornets were missing Kon Knueppel, Coby White, and Grant Williams, because the Sixers were giving them plenty of chances.
Thank goodness for Tyrese Maxey, though. He kicked off the game doing whatever he wanted on offense, scoring nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field in the first four minutes alone. Maxey put on a legitimate three-level scoring clinic in the first half, hitting soft finishes at the rim, midrange jumpers, and sinking a few from beyond the arc. He led all Sixers with 19 points on 8-for-13 field goal shooting and 3-for-5 from three-point range by halftime, which was enough to see Philly retake a narrow lead going into the break.
From Slump to Surge: A Wild Finish
That halftime lead didn’t last, though. The second half saw the Sixers looking like a truly tired team, especially in the third quarter where they seemed completely asleep and lost their narrow advantage. They just couldn’t get anything going. Luckily, the Hornets were also looking weary on their own second leg of a back-to-back, so they couldn’t fully capitalize. Charlotte still led going into the fourth, but it was never an insurmountable margin. It felt like the sluggish Sixers couldn’t string together enough buckets or defensive stops to gain any ground on the Hornets, and you had to wonder if they had anything left in the tank.
Then, in the final two minutes, everything changed. The Sixers suddenly ripped off an incredible 15-3 run to close out the game! They finally snatched the lead late and held on for the dramatic win. And who else but VJ Edgecombe, capping it all off with another absolutely clutch three-pointer? You just knew it was coming, right?
The Sixers keep rolling, now sitting pretty at 6-1 on the season. They earned a much-needed day off Sunday before they host the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. After a gutsy performance like that, you know they’re carrying some serious momentum into their next matchup. What a way to grab a win on the road!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Liberty Ballers.
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