A pair of high-scoring performances from Tyrese Maxey and Paul George powered the Philadelphia 76ers' latest win.  The former scored a game-high 40 points while the latter tallied a season-best 33 points in a 121-108 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

The 76ers facing an abundance of injuries has been one of the only constants of this season. One of the others has been wins over the Hornets, as this was their third in as many tries. It was also their biggest margin of victory. Maxey said that wins like these energize the team — and himself.

“This win does the same as any other win—gives us confidence,” Maxey told reporters after the game. “We dropped last game, but other than that game we’ve been playing pretty well. We just have to get back to that – playing extremely hard. Whoever stepped on the court tonight played extremely hard. For myself, I tell myself I need to smile more. I have to get back to being happy out there playing basketball. I think I did that tonight.”

Tyrese Maxey goes off for 40 points in 76ers' win vs. Hornets

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This 76ers season hasn’t been easy on anybody, even the perpetually upbeat Maxey. His play on the court was rough to start the season. He previously dealt with a hamstring injury. He's barely been able to team up with Joel Embiid this season. No one is happy with the team's 8-16 record.

Although the injury issues haven’t lightened up, the Sixers have won five of their last seven games. Maxey and George have had some time to find chemistry and the team has had more time to mesh on the court as the season marches on. While Philly still has a long way to go to prove itself as a playoff team, this recent stretch is promising.

Nick Nurse told reporters that Maxey and George “were really instrumental” and that their confidence propelled the 76ers. For however long Joel Embiid and Jared McCain are sidelined, the Sixers will need a lot more of that.