PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Los Angeles Clippers 110-108 as they improved to 8-5 on the season. Tyrese Maxey had 39 points while Clippers star, and former Sixers star, James Harden had 28 points with 17 coming in the first quarter.

Maxey and Harden shared a moment after the win as the two of them continue to show love and respect to one another. Maxey learned a lot from Harden during his time in Philadelphia before he was sent to the Clippers early in the 2023-24 season, and he made sure to give the future Hall of Famer his flowers after the win.

“Of course!” Maxey said. “For sure, man, I love James. Y’all know I love James. James has done a lot for me. He scored on me once today, the other times he couldn’t score on me. I was telling him ‘You can’t score me. I know everything you wanna do! What do you mean?’ But he got me one time. He went right. I didn’t think he was gonna do that, but it’s great seeing him.”

Harden has done a lot for Maxey in terms of helping him understand how to take steps forward in this league. He wanted to make sure he can pass on tips onto a younger player like Maxey and it has been a big help for him. It’s why Maxey gives his respect to the Clippers star.

“I always call if I need anything,” Maxey added. “Just call and check in on him. He call and check in on me. He literally just told me, like, bro, you didn’t even call me, like when I landed or nothing. I was like ‘I thought you were gonna go to sleep. Back-to-back. You’re getting old now.’”

In year 17, Harden is still putting up eye-popping numbers. He’s averaging 26.2 points and 8.7 assists while shooting 37.6% from deep. The Clippers are struggling at 4-10, but The Beard has found a way to be productive through it all and that is something that has stood out to Maxey.

“Extremely impressive,” Maxey added. “I think his biggest thing, he works extremely hard in the offseason. Everybody has a narrative of him, but he works. Like, I seen it. He works extremely hard. He works hard after games. He lifts. He takes care of his body, and he really cares about the game of basketball, and he really cares about his production out there. So he loves basketball and I learned a lot from him. I appreciate him, and every time I see him, I just want to compete extremely hard against him. That’s the respect level and that’s just how it goes.”

The Sixers will see the Clippers again on Feb. 2 out in LA.