The Philadelphia 76ers improved to 4–0 on the season Monday night, rallying past the Washington Wizards 139–134 in overtime behind Tyrese Maxey’s 39 points and 10 assists.
Maxey triggered the comeback, but two reserves closed it out. Rookie center Adem Bona blocked two shots in the final minute of regulation and slammed home a put-back dunk in the extra period. Guard Quentin Grimes, quiet most of the night, nailed a late three-pointer that forced overtime and energized Philadelphia’s full-court press.
Joel Embiid, still on a minutes restriction, scored 18 first-half points before sitting down. First-round pick VJ Edgecombe added 14 points on four three-pointers but struggled defensively, a fluctuation head coach Nick Nurse has said to expect from the rookie.
Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell poured in 35 points in Cleveland’s victory over Detroit on Monday, giving him three 30-plus outings through the team’s first four games. The Cavaliers are 3–1 heading into Wednesday’s meeting with the Boston Celtics.
“I think he’s underrated,” head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters afterward. “First Team All-NBA— I don’t know why people don’t talk about him more. Because he’s low-key and humble? I don’t know.”
Celtics
Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla continued to tinker with his rotation Monday against New Orleans. Rookie forward Hugo Gonzalez, who started Sunday in Detroit, did not see the floor as the Celtics mixed and matched based on matchups.
“We have a lot of depth,” Mazzulla said. “We can go to offensive lineups, defensive lineups. He did a great job in the 18 minutes he was out there (Sunday), but you have to think about matchups.”
The Celtics face the Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Source: Hoops Wire
