PALO ALABASTERY —  After defeating the Indiana Pacers 137-126 on Sunday night, the Philadelphia 76ers advanced to 8-1 with a career-high 50 points from Tyrese Maxey and 37 points from Joel Embiid.

Maxey played in the first of the clubs’ two consecutive games in Philadelphia, going 20 for 32 from the field with seven rebounds, five rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. His previous best was 44 on October 28, 2022, versus Toronto.

With 1:05 remaining, Maxey made his final shot on a 32-foot step-back 3-pointer after Embiid, who has dubbed Maxey “The Franchise” in previous interviews, tossed the ball to him and created a screen to release him.

Maxey stated, “Joel wаnted me to get 50 more than even I did.” “He said, ‘You are going to shoot this basketball,’ when he handed me the ball. I value my coaches, teammates, and supporters because of this. The most important thing is that we won, and it was a fantastic evening.

Embiid finished 33 minutes with 13 rebounds. The 76ers have had their greatest nine-game start since starting 10-0 to advance to the NBA Finals in 2000–01.

Embiid remarked, “We are playing together and trusting each other.” “We may not have appeared to be playing defense tonight, but Indiana plays at such a rapid pace that it’s amazing.” They’ll score high, but we were only in the competition. Tyrese helped us close it out even though we let our guard down for a little while.

Kelly Oubre Jr. suffered a broken rib after being struck by a car during a Һit-and-run on a Center City Philadelphia street on Saturday night. As a result, Philadelphia was forced to play without him. Unable to catch him on FaceTime, Oubre’s teammates gave him a video of the celebration in the locker room following the game.

“We were all thinking about the game today, and I’m sure Tyrese was too,” Embiid remarked. All we ask is that he take his time, heal, and understand that we are here for him. We require him because he is an integral part of us. He should take his time, but we missed him tonight.

With 25 points, Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana, followed by Myles Turner with 22. The Pacers were on a three-peat.

Coach Rick Carlisle of the Pacers stated, “We know that this is one of the top two or three teams in the entire league.” “On Tuesday, there are some things we can and will do better. We must examine it, be truthful about what they are, and make the necessary corrections.

Aaron Nesmith’s jumper in the paint early in the fourth quarter gave Indiana its first lead at 105-104, after the team had trailed by 19 points at the half. With an 18–6 run that culminated in Maxey’s putback of an erroneous shot by Patrick Beverley, the 76ers pulled away.

The 76ers coach Nick Nurse stated, “There were moments when they really got going and we couldn’t turn off the water there.” “But in the fourth, we really got it going.”

After James Harden was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, Maxey assumed the role of floor leader and increased his average to 28.6 points.

Maxey remarked, “I kept telling my uncle that I can’t keep missing the open threes. I had been missing them.” “They fell this evening.”

In the NBA In-Season Tournament, the squad will play again on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center. They all prevailed in their opening matches.