76ers’ guard Tyrese Maxey, left, goes up for a shot against Indiana’s Myles Turner during Philadelphia’s 137-126 win on Sunday in Philadelphia. Maxey scored 50 points. Matt Slocum/Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — In a jovial mood after another 76ers’ win, Joel Embiid had to interject when he overheard a teammate praise Tyrese Maxey.
“Tyrese is a leader? That’s the first time I ever heard that,” Embiid said, laughing.
“You don’t think I’m a leader,” a smiling Maxey called out from his nearby locker.
The reigning NBA MVP, Embiid wasn’t even trying to keep a straight face as he teased Maxey. Yes, Tyrese Maxey, at just 23 and coming off his first 50-point game, might be more than Philadelphia’s leader. Maxey has smashed expectations on his way to the short list of top guards in the NBA – a max contract and possible All-Star berth loom ahead – and has all the talent needed to be the homegrown star that forms a durable 1-2 punch with Embiid.
Unlike, say, previous disgruntled guards.
Ben Simmons wanted out.
Jimmy Butler and the 76ers had unfulfilled potential.
James Harden, who went 4 of 12 for 11 points for the Clippers the night Maxey dropped 50, sure wasn’t the solution.
All signs point to Maxey – the 21st overall pick of the 2020 draft, who landed in Philly thanks to fortuitous circumstances – as the thriving tag-team partner Embiid needed, and he was here all along.
Case in point: Maxey played the game of his career in Sunday’s 137-126 victory over Indiana.
Maxey shot 20 of 32 overall and hit seven 3s in 39 minutes. He added seven rebounds, five assists and even had three blocked shots. Allen Iverson was the only younger Sixers player to score 50. Maxey, Anthony Davis and Kobe Bryant are the only 23-and-under players to produce the 50-point, five rebound, five assist and three block stat line.
Maxey became the ninth Sixers player to score 50, joining the likes of Embiid, Iverson, Moses Malone and Wilt Chamberlain.
“It comes with great responsibility, having that freedom, being able to shoot and being able to kind of get up shots when you want to,” Maxey said. “I’m still trying to get guys open, still trying to get guys great shots.”
On Maxey’s defining play, he blocked Bennedict Mathurin in the paint, then blasted toward the basket and used a Eurostep around Tyrese Haliburton to score the bucket.
“The jump he’s made year after year, and the growth that he’s made, I mean James leaving, and now they give him the ball and give him the freedom to show what he can do and he’s not disappointing,” Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s a great, great guard.”
The teams meet again Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
The 76ers have won eight straight and are 8-1 for the first time since 2000-01, going 6-0 at home. Embiid had 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes against the Pacers, super stats that became a footnote to Maxey’s night.
“I’ve had a bunch of 50s,” Embiid said, “but it’s fun to watch someone else do it.”
NUGGETS: Denver extended the contract of Coach Michael Malone after he guided the franchise to its first NBA title, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the extension. No terms of the deal were disclosed.
Hired by Denver in 2015, Malone has steadily helped turn the Nuggets into a contender behind the dynamic twosome of point guard Jamal Murray and two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. Malone has gone 375-272 with the Nuggets, which included earning the best mark in the Western Conference last season.
The Nuggets went 16-4 in their playoff run, culminating in winning the NBA crown in five games over the Miami Heat. Jokic was named the NBA Finals MVP.
Malone was a longtime assistant with New York, Cleveland, New Orleans and Golden State before getting his first head coaching job with Sacramento. He was let go in his second season with the Kings in December 2014.
The 52-year-old Malone has led the Nuggets to the postseason five times since his arrival, including two appearances in the Western Conference Finals. His 37 postseason wins are the most by any coach in franchise history.
He’s the fourth-longest active tenured coach, trailing Golden State’s Steve Kerr, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich.
BUCKS: Forward Jae Crowder will miss about two months due to a left adductor and abdominal tear.
Crowder got hurt Saturday in a 112-97 loss at Orlando. The Bucks announced the severity of Crowder’s injury after he was evaluated by Dr. Bill Meyers in Philadelphia. The Bucks said Crowder is scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday.
Crowder, 33, had played in each of the Bucks’ first nine games this season and was averaging 8.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists and 26.7 minutes. The 6-foot-6 forward had made two starts.
MONDAY’S GAME
RAPTORS 111, WIZARDS 107: Pascal Siakam scored a season-high 39 points and Toronto overcame a 23-point deficit to beat visiting Washington.
Siakam sparked Toronto’s comeback with 22 points in the third quarter. He finished with 11 rebounds.
Washington’s Kyle Kuzma scored a season-high 34 points but turned the ball over out of bounds after Siakam’s late basket gave Toronto its first lead since the opening quarter.
Washington led 107-95 with 5:47 left to play in the fourth quarter but didn’t score again.
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