Maxey Inspires Comeback Win as Grizzlies Remain Unbeaten
Tyrese Maxey guided the Philadelphia 76ers to a spirited second-half comeback victory over the Charlotte Hornets despite the absence of key stars. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies maintained their unblemished record, and Victor Wembanyama delivered a dominant 43-point showing for the San Antonio Spurs.
Tyrese Maxey delivered an outstanding performance to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to their fourth double-digit comeback victory of the season, overcoming a 13-point deficit to defeat the Charlotte Hornets.
Philadelphia played without LeBron James and Joel Embiid, who both sat out for injury management following Friday's win against New York. The 41-year-old James was sidelined with lower back sciatica, while Embiid nursed a sore right foot. In their absence, Maxey shouldered the burden, scoring 19 points in the first half to help Philadelphia take a narrow 57-54 advantage into the break before adding 15 crucial points in the fourth quarter.
Charlotte, led by Grayson Allen's 27 points and Brandon Miller's 24, controlled the contest for most of the second half. However, Maxey made two free throws with 1:22 remaining to put Philadelphia ahead 102-101. V.J. Edgecombe followed with a stepback three-pointer after Maxey encouraged him to take the big shot, and two more Maxey free throws extended the lead to six. Miller hit a late three-pointer to keep Charlotte alive, but Jaylen Brown sealed the win at the charity stripe.
Following the contest, Maxey acknowledged his fatigue with having to rally from behind so frequently, but he commended his teammates for their competitive nature, fighting mentality, and trust in one another. Anfernee Simons provided 19 points off the bench for Philadelphia, while Brown finished with 16 as the team improved to 6-1.
Elsewhere, the Memphis Grizzlies remained the league's lone undefeated squad, pushing their record to 6-0 with a commanding 136-105 rout of the winless Sacramento Kings. Rookie Cameron Boozer paced Memphis with 27 points. A victory in their next matchup will establish a new franchise record for the best start to a season. Sacramento was led by Darius Acuff, who scored 38 points in the loss.
In San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama produced a commanding effort to propel the Spurs past the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-111. Wembanyama posted 43 points, seven rebounds, and six blocks. Dylan Harper contributed 25 points and De'Aaron Fox chipped in 22 to lift San Antonio to 4-2.
The Houston Rockets rebounded from their first defeat of the season by defeating the injury-plagued Oklahoma City Thunder 119-98. Jabari Smith, who noted after the game that the team was eager to avoid consecutive losses, led Houston with 30 points. Marcus Smart contributed 24 points, Kevin Durant scored 14, and Alperen Sengun nearly recorded a triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists to move Houston to 6-1.
In Milwaukee, the Cleveland Cavaliers earned an emphatic 136-111 road victory over the Bucks behind 27 points from Evan Mobley and a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double from Jarrett Allen.
The New Orleans Pelicans cruised to a 121-99 home victory over the Atlanta Hawks, bolstered by 25 points from reserve Saddiq Bey and 20 points from Jeremiah Fears.
Rounding out the action, the Portland Trail Blazers improved to 4-1 with a 112-90 victory over the Utah Jazz, guided by 24 points from Deni Avdija and 22 points from Damian Lillard.