Tyrese Maxey knocked down seven 3-pointers on his way to 29 points, Dominick Barlow delivered a 26-point, 16-rebound performance, and the Philadelphia 76ers led wire to wire in a 128-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, their fourth straight win.
Joel Embiid added 24 points as he continues to work his way back from a right ankle injury, helping Philadelphia improve to 11-10 without Paul George, who is serving a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program. The matchup featured two notable All-Star snubs, with Embiid and Clippers star Kawhi Leonard both left off the reserve list.
Leonard scored 29 points to pace Los Angeles, while Jordan Miller provided 21 points off the bench. The Clippers again played without James Harden, who missed his second consecutive game for personal reasons.
Philadelphia built a commanding lead early, pushing its advantage to 23 points and taking a 72-53 cushion into halftime. The Sixers never relinquished control, even after being outscored 34-28 in the third quarter, with Maxey, Barlow and Embiid combining for 22 points in the period to keep the margin comfortable at 100-87.
Leonard tried to spark a comeback with a pair of dunks and a 3-pointer in the fourth, but Los Angeles couldn’t generate a sustained run and he finished the night on the bench.
The Clippers fell despite winning eight of their previous 11 games as they continue to jockey for position in the play-in race.
Up next:
Philadelphia heads to Golden State on Tuesday night to close a back-to-back, while Los Angeles hosts Cleveland on Wednesday.
