MILWAUKEE — All season long, Tyrese Maxey has had to throw the Philadelphia 76ers on his back. The 6-year guard out of Kentucky has been phenomenal as he has guided the Sixers to wins despite the team dealing with injuries once again.

It was about time somebody returned the favor.

Paul George, who was brought to Philadelphia to help in situations such as this one, helped the Sixers hold off the Milwaukee Bucks 116-101. George finished with 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting and he came up with timely plays int he fourth as he finished with six points, four rebounds, and two assists to get the job on a night Maxey only had 12 points.

“He sat me down in the fourth quarter,” Maxey said after the win. “He said, ‘Don’t worry about it. I’m gonna finish this one for us.’ And he did that. That’s what he’s here for. You know what I mean? And we appreciate Paul.”

George has had to battle back from a lot to get to this point. The 9-time All-Star is coming off an injury-riddled first season in Philadelphia and has been limited again in his second season in the City of Brotherly Love. His performance against the Bucks was one he needed to have in order to help the Sixers win as well as show he still has something left to give.

“It felt great,” George said after his message to Maxey in the win. “I felt like myself again. It’s great because I believe I’m not done yet. So, it was great to kind of everything, kind of come back to me and feel like it was just natural. The muscle memory, my rhythm, timing, cadence, flow. It was just kind of a possession, timing thing, and getting good, quality possessions each time.”

George did a lot for the Sixers on Friday as he took on a lot of defensive challenges. Whether it was Kevin Porter Jr., Bobby Portis, chasing around AJ Green off screens, or being switched onto Myles Turner, he did it all. The Bucks were stifled with him putting in work on the defensive end.

“He’s worked extremely hard to get back to the lineup and back playing, and he did that tonight, and he was really good in a lot of different areas,” Maxey added. “He guarded a lot of different people. He out on guards, ended up on big, ended up on wings, and he took the scoring load. He did a really good job.”

The Sixers will have a day off before facing the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday back at home.