PHILADELPHIA — Even an elbow to the head can’t stop Tyrese Maxey. It might slow the Philadelphia 76ers star down, as it did when Charlotte Hornets rookie Brandon Miller got him in the nose, but Maxey is never one to go down easy. His efforts to not only stay in the game but play well helped the Sixers defeat the Hornets in a close contest.

In the second quarter, Maxey pressured Miller along the sideline and was struck in the face by the Hornets wing's right elbow as he tried to protect the ball. After a review of the play, the referees hit Miller with a flagrant 2 foul, which meant an automatic disqualification from the game.

76ers head coach Nick Nurse said he had never seen a flagrant 2 committed by the ball-handler. Maxey stressed that he doesn’t think Miller did it on purpose.

“Blood was coming down there pretty good and he hung in there, man. Happens in this game,” Nurse said. “That was good to see him stick in there, make the plays and play most of the game.”

Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 30 points and provided some crucial buckets down the stretch to lead the 76ers to victory. The hit to the face put a pause in a strong performance but it didn’t derail him in the slightest.

“I got hit and I was like, ‘Oh no, let me get up. I don't want to go do that again,” Maxey said, referring to the concession protocol he cleared just this past weekend. He missed four games after a previous head collision that he was able to play through initially. “But I'm all right,” Maxey continued. “I tell everybody I'm a soldier, so it is what it is. I'm gonna take UFC lessons, though.”

As he was being tended to by the medical staff, Maxey was shown on the jumbotron and gave a mean mug to the Wells Fargo Center crowd. The fans cheered loudly as they watched their star get fixed up and ready to play again.

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“I'm just having a little fun,” Maxey said. “We have a great job and we're blessed to wake up every single morning, do what we love to do. I‘m just a happy person and winning makes me happy and playing basketball really makes me happy. So, it was a cool moment and I just tried to make some fun out of it.”

Kelly Oubre Jr.'s 22 points, Nico Batum's pesky defense and some crucial scoring off the bench from Buddy Hield (14 points in 20 minutes) and Cam Payne (10 points in 19 minutes) helped Maxey steer the 76ers back into the win column.