Tyrese Maxey delivered a late masterpiece, scoring 40 points and finishing a dramatic comeback with a driving layup in the final seconds as the Philadelphia 76ers edged the Sacramento Kings 113-111 on Thursday night.
Joel Embiid powered Philadelphia with 37 points, while Paul George chipped in 15 as the 76ers erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to secure the win.
Sacramento appeared in control late, taking a 103-92 lead after a three-point play by Zach LaVine with 7:44 remaining. But the 76ers responded with a surge, scoring 13 of the next 15 points to pull even at 105 on a pair of Maxey free throws.
The decisive sequence came in the closing moments. After DeMar DeRozan missed a jumper that could have put the Kings ahead, Embiid secured the rebound with 5.2 seconds left and Philadelphia called timeout. Following a reset on the inbound, Kelly Oubre Jr. found Embiid near the top of the arc, and Maxey burst from half court to take the handoff. He knifed into the lane and finished a left-handed layup through contact with 1.3 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Dennis Schröder led Sacramento with 27 points and DeRozan added 25, but the Kings dropped their seventh straight game and fell to 3-21 on the road.
Sacramento had built its advantage by outscoring Philadelphia 38-28 in the third quarter, carrying a 92-88 lead into the final period. The Kings’ momentum stalled late, however, as the 76ers tightened defensively and leaned on Maxey and Embiid down the stretch.
The Kings were without Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray due to injuries. Philadelphia also played without Quentin Grimes for the second straight game.
Up next:
Kings: Visit Boston on Friday night.
76ers: Host New Orleans on Saturday night.
