Maxey’s All-Star Day Fuels 76ers’ Comeback Win Over Pacers 113-104

Tyrese Maxey was asleep when the news broke.

It was around 2 p.m. on a Monday, the typical nap window for an NBA player preparing for a game night, when his phone started buzzing. It was his rookie teammate, V.J. Edgecombe, calling to tell him he wasn’t just an All-Star—he was a starter. Then his mom called, bringing the same frantic energy. Maxey took the news, appreciated the moment, and promptly went back to sleep.

But when the 76ers took the floor hours later against the Indiana Pacers, sleep was the last thing on Maxey’s mind.

On a night that threatened to turn into a trap game against a 10-win Indiana squad, Maxey and reigning MVP Joel Embiid dragged Philadelphia out of the mud. Maxey celebrated his starter nod with a chaotic, brilliant performance, racking up 29 points and a career-high eight steals, while Embiid anchored the offense with 30 points and nine rebounds in a gritty 113-104 victory at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

76ers Shake Off Sluggish Start

For the first 24 minutes, the 76ers looked like a team that had read the standings and decided the night would be easy. They were sleepwalking. Philadelphia trailed at halftime and clung to a slim one-point lead entering the fourth quarter against a Pacers team that has struggled to find any rhythm this season.

The energy in the building was flat, bordering on nervous. With Indiana sports fans’ eyes glued to the Hoosiers in the college football national championship game, the Pacers played with a looseness that Philadelphia struggled to match early on. Andrew Nembhard (25 points) and Pascal Siakam (24 points) were slicing through the 76ers’ defense, capitalizing on lazy closeouts and turnovers.

But the complexion of the game flipped in the second half, largely due to Maxey’s defensive hands. Eight steals is an absurd number for a guard—it speaks to anticipation more than just effort. Maxey was jumping passing lanes and stripping ball handlers, igniting the transition offense that Philadelphia desperately needed to wake up the crowd.

“He was everywhere,” head coach Nick Nurse said postgame. “The scoring we expect, but the defensive disruption? That changed the game.”

Embiid and Edgecombe Close the Door

While Maxey provided the spark, Joel Embiid provided the hammer. The big man was efficient, shooting 10-of-17 from the field and living at the free-throw line down the stretch. When the Pacers threatened to retake the lead in the fourth, the 76ers simplified the offense: give the ball to Embiid at the nail and let him work.

Perhaps the most encouraging sign for the 76ers front office, however, was the play of rookie V.J. Edgecombe. In a critical stretch during the second half, Nurse leaned on a two-man game between Embiid and the rookie. Edgecombe finished with 11 points, but his poise in crunch time—hitting free throws and making the right reads—suggests he’s ready for the playoff rotation.

Kelly Oubre Jr. also chipped in with a solid 18 points, giving the 76ers five starters in double figures. It was the kind of balanced scoring attack that Philadelphia needs when defenses inevitably collapse on Embiid.

A “Bummer” for Indiana

For the Pacers, it was another night of “almost.” Rick Carlisle’s squad battled, shooting nearly 48% from the field, but they crumbled under the pressure of Philadelphia’s fourth-quarter defense. Turnovers killed them—Philadelphia scored 22 points off Indiana’s mistakes, a direct result of Maxey’s theft spree.

It was a double blow for Indiana faithful, as Carlisle lamented pre-game about missing the Hoosiers playing for a national title, calling the scheduling conflict a “bummer.” The loss dropped the Pacers to a dismal 10-34, firmly anchoring them at the bottom of the Central Division.

What This Means for the 76ers

The win pushes the 76ers to 23-18. It wasn’t pretty, and against a better team, that first-half effort might have resulted in a blowout loss. But in the NBA, you don’t apologize for wins, especially in January.

With the Phoenix Suns coming to town on Tuesday, Philadelphia doesn’t have time to rest. But for one night, the story belongs to Tyrese Maxey. He woke up as an All-Star starter, went back to sleep, and then woke up the entire city of Philadelphia with a performance that proved exactly why he belongs among the league’s elite.