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The Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> picked up a crucial road win over the Charlotte Hornets, leaning on experience and star power when it mattered most. With Joel Embiid<\/a> and Paul George<\/a> returning earlier in the week, Tyrese Maxey<\/a> added another boost by suiting up ahead of schedule, giving head coach Nick Nurse a nearly full rotation.<\/p>\n Philadelphia\u2019s offense carried the night, even as Charlotte created problems on the glass. Moussa Diabat\u00e9<\/a> set a relentless tone inside, while Brandon Miller<\/a> kept pressure on the defense. Still, the game shifted late. Entering the fourth quarter down five, the Sixers responded with poise. Maxey, Embiid, and George executed in key moments, closing out a win<\/a> that strengthened their position in a crowded Eastern Conference playoff race, Philly Voice reports.<\/p>\n Maxey\u2019s night reflected both patience and explosiveness. He started quietly, deferring to an aggressive Embiid, but quickly found his rhythm. In the second quarter, he knocked down a mid-range jumper, then followed with three straight triples. By halftime, he had 16 points on efficient shooting while protecting the ball, an underrated part of his game.<\/p>\n He delivered one of the biggest plays early in the fourth, rising for a left-handed dunk over Miles Bridges to tie the game. From there, Maxey continued to attack, finishing with 26 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds across 43 minutes.<\/p>\n Joel Embiid\u2019s Early Belief in Maxey<\/p>\n After the win, Maxey reflected on a moment that came long before his breakout performances. Speaking on NBA<\/a> on NBC, he shared how<\/a> Embiid believed in him before he ever stepped onto an NBA floor.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was the first person NBA like player-wise to believe in me,\u201d Maxey said. \u201cI was on like the third group\u2026 we won a couple games\u2026 he was like okay he is kind of good\u2026 then he told them put him on the first unit.\u201d<\/p>\n Maxey admitted the moment felt overwhelming. \u201cI was so nervous playing with him the first time\u2026 I don\u2019t know what to do,\u201d he said. But Embiid quickly made his presence felt off the court as well.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst time I got on a plane he is like sit right here. Sit by me,\u201d Maxey recalled. \u201cHe told me, you\u2019re going to be a star in this league\u2026 I\u2019m like, bro, I haven\u2019t even played a game.\u201d<\/p>\n From Rookie Doubt to Star Production<\/p>\n That early vote of confidence now carries more weight given Maxey\u2019s current role. His performance against Charlotte showed growth in every phase, from shot creation to decision-making under pressure.<\/p>\n Philadelphia\u2019s late-game execution highlighted how far he has come. Maxey did not just complement Embiid and George, he drove key stretches himself. His ability to balance scoring and control helped stabilize the offense when possessions tightened.<\/p>\n The connection between Maxey and Embiid continues to define the team\u2019s ceiling. What started as a simple gesture of belief during practice and travel has evolved into a partnership that delivers in high-stakes moments.<\/p>\n For Maxey, the memory still stands out. At the time, it sounded like a bold prediction. Now, it reads more like early recognition of what was coming next.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tBurtland Dixon<\/a> Burtland Dixon is a sports journalist covering the NBA and athlete culture for Heavy.com. A former Division II athlete turned journalist, he offers a unique blend of locker room perspective and storytelling expertise. He has more than eight years of experience in digital media and previously served as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with additional bylines at Idolator, Trend Chaser, and Buzznet. Burtland is based between California and New York. Instagram: @showmi_more More about Burtland Dixon<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Sixers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a crucial road win over the Charlotte Hornets, leaning on experience and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":690033,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3769],"tags":[679,7,6,678,207,3817],"class_list":{"0":"post-690032","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia-76ers","8":"tag-76ers","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-philadelphia","12":"tag-philadelphia-76ers","13":"tag-philadelphia76ers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116324406124174656","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/690033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}