The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off arguably the biggest upset on Monday night after taking down the league-leading Miami Heat in Philly. The Sixers were without both James Harden and Joel Embiid, which placed the Heat as the heavy favorites for this one. Tyrese Maxey and the rest of the 76ers, however, had other ideas.
Maxey stepped up for the Sixers in this one, putting up a game-high 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting. The 21-year-old also logged five boards, four assists, and three triples against a relentless Heat side. One of Maxey's most important plays on the evening, however, came on the defensive end with less than 20 seconds remaining on the clock.
Heat wing Caleb Martin came up with a clutch steal against Philly in the dying moments of the game. The Sixers were up by just six points at that point and Martin had the chance to make it a two-possession ballgame with a wide-open layup. And then, Tyrese Maxey happened:
◻️ 28 PTS
◻️ 5 REB
◻️ 4 AST
◻️ 1 emphatic block down the stretchTyrese Maxey leads the Sixers to a 113-106 win over the East-leading Heat without Joel Embiid or James Harden.
🎥 @sixerspic.twitter.com/b1QMSuv4uI
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 22, 2022
Maxey timed his jump to perfection as he came up with an emphatic game-sealing block against Martin. The Sixers ended up securing the win thanks to Maexy's huge defensive stop.
After the game, the second-year combo guard revealed that he went all out for that block. He knew there was a big possibility that he was going to be on the receiving end of a poster slam, but it didn't matter much to him:
“I thought, either he’s going to dunk on me today, or I’m going to get this block. It was one or the other,” Maxey said, via Sixers beat reporter Lauren Rosen.
Thankfully for Maxey, his risk paid off in the best way possible. This kid has been fearless throughout the season for the Sixers, and this play was an embodiment of his valiant attitude.
This was a big win for the Sixers especially once you consider that they were without their two best players in this contest. Philly has now closed the gap on Miami at the top, with the Sixers now just two games behind the top-seeded Heat in the loss column. Right now, a first-place finish n the East is definitely still within reach for Philadelphia.