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On April 4, Tyrese Maxey scored 37 points and Joel Embiid added 29, sparking the Philadelphia 76ers to a 109-105 victory away from the Miami Heat and increasing their prospects of making the NBA playoffs.
In his 41 minutes on the court, Maxey contributed 11 assists, 9 rebounds, and a narrow miss on a triple double to help the Sixers advance to 42-35, eighth in the Eastern Conference, just one game behind the Indiana Pacers in sixth place.
“It was a tough environment and it was a team that’s super athletic and physical that had (us) up against the ropes and kept on swinging, and we somehow got out of there,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said to ESPN.
NBA play-off slots are awarded to the top six teams in each conference, with the remaining two spots up for grabs going to play-in games for teams ranked seventh through tenth.
With a hip ailment, Maxey had missed the previous two Philadelphia games. However, in their first game together in over two months, the two were unstoppable.
Maxey remarked, “I’m tired.” “Normally, you get to play for 32 minutes when you get back, but Coach Nick asked Nurse, and I said I’m good. I’m willing to play as much as you require.
The Cameroonian big man’s injury caused Philadelphia, who are 2-0 since the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player returned from a knee injury, to drop out of the top six. However, they still have five games remaining and aim to go back into the top six.
Terry Rozier’s 22 points helped Miami, who now sit sixth in the East, drop to 42-34.
The Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 133-110 to extend their winning run to six games in the Western Conference. This increased their lead over the only team that can prevent them from finishing in a play-in position.
With 29 points apiece from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors took a 65-50 lead into halftime and dominated the second half.
The Rockets have not defeated Golden State since February 2020, and this was their 13th straight loss to them.
Golden State, with six games left, is tied for the tenth and last West play-in place at 42-34, while Houston dropped to 38-38, four games behind the Warriors.
In the meantime, despite Nikola Jokic’s triple-double in a losing effort, Paul George scored 28 points and James Harden added 20 to lead the host Los Angeles Clippers past the defending champs Denver 102-100.
The Nuggets took a 31-20 lead after the first quarter behind two-time NBA MVP Jokic’s 36 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists before the Clippers mounted a comeback.
“Very impressive victory, particularly considering our home losses,” George remarked. “We started off slowly. Although we must improve, this is a significant victory. This is a team fit for a champion. They’re the reigning champions. We fought hard and I think we did a tremendous job of just staying in the game.
Denver’s reserves were outscored 34–9 by the Clippers bench.
George remarked, “We have guys that we can plug in and they give us a big boost.” They invigorate us greatly. We were flat in the first quarter, but those men got us into the game and gave us a jolt.
With Jamal Murray out for Denver and Kawhi Leonard out for the Clippers, both team was lacking a key player.
Denver dropped to 53-24, one game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, who lead the Western Conference, and one game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are currently in third place.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic contributed 25 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists to help the Dallas Mavericks defeat the visiting Atlanta Hawks 109-95. Kyrie Irving had 26 points.
En route to securing a play-off spot and finishing in the top six, Dallas, 46-30, held fifth place in the Western Conference, one game ahead of the Phoenix Suns.
The visiting Sacramento Kings were defeated 120-109 by the New York Knicks thanks to 31 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists from Josh Hart and 35 points and 11 assists from Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks, 45-31, ended a three-game losing streak with a 28-14 rally in the final seconds of the game to win and tie the fourth-place Orlando Magic and the third-place Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.
Forward Julius Randle of New York will undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. In January, he dislocated his shoulder, although he postponed surgery in the hopes of recovering in time for the playoffs
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