Philadelphia 76ers Narrowly Defeat Heat As Tyrese Maxey Makes History

The Philadelphia 76ers (33-26) narrowly defeated the Miami Heat (31-29) on Thursday night, 124-117.

Philadelphia was led by their superstar duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who were inefficient against Miami's defense.

Maxey finished the evening with 28 points, 11 assists, five steals, and four rebounds on 34.6% shooting and 5 of 12 shooting from three-point range in 38 minutes of action. With his five made three-pointers, Maxey passed Hall of Famer Allen Iverson for the most three-pointers made in 76ers history.

It's worth noting Maxey came out of the gates on fire, scoring 20 of his 28 points in the opening quarter.

Meanwhile, Embiid recorded 26 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists on 40% shooting and 2 of 6 shooting from three-point range in 31 minutes. He went to the locker room midway through the game after appearing to be hit in the ribs but returned shortly after. The seven-time All-Star nailed the game-sealing three-pointer with less than 30 seconds to go.

Rookie V.J. Edgecombe and forward Kelly Oubre Jr. also contributed to the win at a high level. The former tallied 19 points and eight rebounds on 8 of 12 shooting while the latter scored 21 points on 61.5% shooting to go along with eight rebounds and three assists.

It was big man Bam Adebayo who led the charge for the Heat, as he concluded the night with 29 points and 14 rebounds on 10 of 20 shooting in 36 minutes played. Philadelphia had a comfortable lead at halftime, but a strong third quarter from the three-time All-Star and company brought Miami back into the game.

Adebayo was well supported offensively by guard Tyler Herro and forwards Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Andrew Wiggins. Herro scored 25 points on 50% shooting while Jaquez and Wiggins combined for 37 points on 12 of 24 shooting.

The 76ers' next game is on March 1 against the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics.

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