The Philadelphia 76ers survived against the strong Houston Rockets 128-122 in overtime on Thursday night.
Tyrese Maxey dropped 36 points and 10 assists while Joel Embiid had a triple-double of 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Sixers’ Kelly Oubre added 26 points, and Paul George had 10 points, who returned to the lineup after missing two straight games due to left knee management.
On the other hand, Rockets’ Kevin Durant finished with 36 points, while Amen Thompson added 17.
Philadelphia scored the first five points of the extra session on George’s three-pointer and VJ Edgecombe’s follow from close range after he grabbed an offensive rebound to take control.
Durant blocked Maxey’s driving layup attempt with 13.2 seconds left, as the Sixers had a chance to win it in regulation.
The 76ers opened up a 94-88 lead early in the fourth quarter, but it took 3:23 for them to score another point.
Reed Sheppard’s third three-pointer of the quarter put the Rockets up 105-96 with 6:25 remaining, but the Sixers tied it twice late in regulation, the last on Maxey’s layup with 40.1 seconds left.
Meanwhile, Aaron Holiday was downgraded from questionable to out for the Rockets due to back spasms, and Steven Adamas was also sidelined because of a left ankle sprain.
The Houston Rockets will face the Pistons on Friday night, while the Philadelphia 76ers will host the Knicks on Saturday.
