Here are three of the biggest takeaways from the Philadelphia 76ers' Thursday night victory over Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.
The Philadelphia 76ers (24-19) defeated Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets (26-16) on Thursday night 128-122 in overtime. Although the Sixers snapped the Rockets' three-game winning streak, they have still lost three of their last five matchups.
Here's a look at three of the biggest takeaways from the Philadelphia victory:
1. Joel Embiid Dominated
January 22nd is clearly a special day for Embiid, as on the two-year anniversary of his 70-point performance, the seven-time All-Star shined. He finished the night with 32 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, a steal, and a block on 10 of 19 shooting and 33.3% shooting from three-point range in 46 minutes of action. The last time Embiid played this much in a regular season game was in December 2022 against the Los Angeles Lakers, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
He was able to get to the free throw line at will against Alperen Sengun and the Houston defense, knocking down 11 of his 12 attempts from the charity stripe. With no back-to-back, Sixers fans will be expecting another big performance Saturday against Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks.
2. Kelly Oubre Jr. Continues To Shine
Whether he's raising his value ahead of the NBA trade deadline or proving himself deserving of a starting spot in Philadelphia, Oubre continues to thrive. 76ers coach Nick Nurse announced pregame that Oubre would start against the Rockets rather than Dominick Barlow, and the decision paid off.
He tallied 26 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a block on 10 of 14 shooting and 80% shooting from the arc. Even with Paul George in the mix against the Rockets, Oubre was still a key factor in the win.
3. Tyrese Maxey Is Fighting Out Of His "Slump"
Maxey hadn't scored over 30 points in four consecutive games entering the matchup against the Rockets, which is quite given he's averaging 30.1 points on the season. He snapped that streak against Houston, ending the game with 36 points, 10 assists, two rebounds, and three steals on 53.6% shooting and 2 of 10 shooting from three-point range.
It's clear the two-time All-Star isn't fully out of his slump, as he shot the ball quite poorly from the outside.
Social media also believes Maxey was "robbed" of a game-winning shot in this game, as the layup he took with seconds left in regulation was not called goaltending.
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