Maxey’s coast-to-coast block rescues 76ers in 99-98 nail-biter
maxeys-coast-to-coast-block-rescues-76ers-in-99-98-nail-biter
PHILADELPHIA — Tyrese Maxey outran the clock and the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, swatting away De’Anthony Melton’s layup at the buzzer to preserve the Philadelphia 76ers’ 99-98 victory at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The dramatic stop came seconds after rookie VJ Edgecombe tipped in Maxey’s missed jumper with 0.9 seconds left, putting Philadelphia back in front after squandering a 24-point fourth-quarter cushion.
Without a timeout, Golden State guard Buddy Hield stepped out of bounds, heaved a length-of-the-court pass to Melton and appeared to have a game-winning layup — until Maxey sprinted the entire floor and blocked the shot as time expired.
“I just wanted to make a play and help us win,” Maxey said. Joel Embiid added, “The block was amazing. I almost forgot who scored the go-ahead bucket because of it.”
The Warriors were already short-handed, ruling out Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III before tipoff and losing Draymond Green to a re-aggravated foot injury in the second quarter.
Edgecombe’s put-back punctuated a night when the rookie’s hustle drew praise from Maxey: “He does things that don’t show up in the box score all the time.”
Embiid, returning from right knee soreness for just the second time in three games, logged 25 minutes and finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. He will sit out Friday’s back-to-back at Milwaukee as the team manages his minutes.
Philadelphia visits the Bucks next, while Milwaukee plays without Giannis Antetokounmpo, sidelined two to four weeks by a calf strain. Forward Paul George, held out Thursday, is trending toward a return Friday. Kelly Oubre (LCL sprain) will be reevaluated next week.
Source: ESPN
