Tyrese Maxey, Sixers Keep Win Streak Alive vs. Rockets

The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Houston Rockets on Monday night. The matchup marked the second time the Sixers and the Rockets battled it out this season.

The early December outing featured overtime, as the young Rockets team caught a Joel Embiid-led Sixers team off guard. Although the Sixers got solid performances from the stars Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and James Harden, they couldn’t overcome the Rockets in OT.

Houston came away with a 132-123 win. On Monday, the Sixers looked to get back at the Rockets by picking up their third-straight win after collecting victories over the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets to close out last week’s slate.

Quarter Breakdown

1st Quarter

The key going into Monday’s game for the Sixers was to make sure they don’t let a young Houston team beat them with energy. As expected, the Rockets certainly didn’t lack in that department. From the gate, the Rockets were active in the paint, scoring their first 12 points around the basket.

As for the Sixers, they looked to frequently fire from deep as they took six attempts from beyond the in a little less than six minutes. Tobias Harris, who’s been struggling with his shot as of late, knocked down his first three-pointer of the game.

Both teams remained tight throughout the first quarter, but the Sixers put together an 11-2 run with a little over three mins left. With that run, the Sixers went from trailing by one point to eventually being up by seven. The Rockets would battle back quickly, though. By the end of the quarter, the Sixers had a small lead, out in front with a score of 32-29.

2nd Quarter

Doc Rivers rolled with a signature all-bench unit to begin the quarter. The lineup featured Tyrese Maxey, Georges Niang, Shake Milton, Paul Reed, and the newbie Jalen McDaniels. The team’s group of reserves has had its fair share of struggles lately, but that wasn’t the case on Monday.

Maxey got the unit off and running, and he fired off four points on the team’s first two offensive possessions. Milton got in on the action as he converted an And-1. Seconds later, Paul Reed poked a ball free, giving Milton a fast break opportunity to complete a successful running dunk. Just like that, the Sixers were off to an 11-0 run to begin the quarter.

Halfway through the quarter, Rivers went back to the starting unit. At that point, the Rockets were already climbing back from their early notable second-quarter deficit. An eight-point run called for the bench lineup to be split up.

When the Sixers brought De’Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, and James Harden back out onto the floor, Houston continued their run with another quick bucket. With a little over five minutes left to go in the quarter, the Rockets stole the lead.

It wasn’t a moment for panic for the Sixers. Although the Rockets were attempting to shift the momentum, Philadelphia snatched their lead back and remained out in front with a 55-48 lead at the half.

3rd Quarter

Although the Sixers entered the game healthy, with everybody available, they weren’t going to make it out of Monday’s game in the same shape. The veteran forward PJ Tucker was dealing with calf tightness throughout the first half. After he clocked a six-minute shift in the first quarter, Tucker was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the matchup.

With Tucker out at the start of the second half, the Sixers rolled with Tyrese Maxey in the starting five to begin the half. Once again, Maxey was active on the offensive end in his minutes as he picked up the team’s first seven points, with two makes from beyond the arc.

Maxey started a clear trend for the Sixers, who were dropping bombs from deep. Along with Maxey’s multiple makes, Joel Embiid and James Harden got in on the action with some successful shots from deep as well. The early second-half run helped the Sixers tie their biggest lead of the game as they were out in front with an 11-point cushion.

A couple of minutes later, the Sixers extended their lead to 13 points. For the entire quarter, Philadelphia controlled the game. While they didn’t reach a point where they could begin resting some of their key players for the remainder of the night, Joel Embiid’s fadeaway buzzer-beater shot put the Sixers out in front 90-78 going into the fourth quarter.

4th Quarter

To begin the fourth quarter, Doc Rivers went back to the all-bench unit containing Milton, Reed, McDaniels, Niang, and Maxey. After the Sixers fired up five points in the opening minutes, the Sixers brought their star James Harden back into the fold to help get Philadelphia a comfortable lead late in the game.

The Rockets weren’t giving in. While Philadelphia’s offensive attack was steady and finding success, Houston was able to answer on the other end of the floor throughout the first half of the quarter. The Sixers were getting Paul Reed some looks in the paint, and he scored his first four points of the game. Shortly after, Philly started dropping shots from deep.

McDaniels hit a 24-footer with seven minutes left to give the Sixers a 104-88 lead and getting James Harden to his tenth assist of the game. On the next possession, Tyrese Maxey followed up with a running pulp three after a Paul Reed block. Forcing Houston into a timeout, it was clear the Rockets were running out of time.

The 76ers felt comfortable enough to go into the fourth quarter without their star big man Embiid checking in. After he played for the entire third quarter, Embiid wrapped up his night with 23 points on 8-14 shooting from the field and 6-6 from the free throw line.

Harden was the next starter to get an early night off as he checked out with a little over four minutes left to go in the game. He concluded his night with 28 points and ten assists in 31 minutes of action. Maxey and the Sixers took care of business and closed out the matchup with a 123-104 victory over the Rockets, snagging their third-straight victory.