Sixers rally after Joel Embiid's ejection to defeat Spurs behind Tyrese Maxey's 32 points

Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec 23, 2024

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PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid lost his cool and was ejected.

Andre Drummond had his ejection rescinded only to miss the second half with a left big toe contusion. And their 76ers held on to get a much-needed victory over a team with a winning record.

Friday’s 111-106 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at the Wells Fargo Center was indeed one of the whackiest games of the season.

Tyrese Maxey’s 3-pointer with 29.8 seconds left gave the Sixers a 107-103 cushion. Then the All-Star point guard grabbed the defensive rebound off a Spurs miss and was fouled on the ensuing possession.

Maxey split the free throws and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored on a putback to put the Sixers up seven.

Maxey finished with a game-highs of 32 points and 10 rebounds to go along with eight assists. He scored 12 of the Sixers’ 27 fourth quarter points. Paul George added 19 points and nine rebounds.

Under normal circumstances, it would be a joyous moment.

That’s because the victory improved the Sixers to 10-17 overall and 2-13 in contests against teams with winning records heading into Monday. Their other victory over a winning team was a 102-94 decision over the Orlando Magic on Dec. 6 at The Center.

But that accomplishment and the Sixers’ balanced scoring turned out to be nothing more than a footnote.

Embiid’s ejection was the main storyline.

The 7-foot-2 center left the game with 2 minutes, 59 seconds left in the first half after charging after referee Jenna Schroeder.

Embiid was called for an offensive foul when he collided with Spurs center Victor Wembanyama on his way to the basket. After getting up, Embiid went over to Schroeder to voice his displeasure with the call. He became agitated and followed Schroeder around the court and had to be restrained by teammates, coaches, and staff members, leading to his ejection.

He finished with nine points on 2-for-8 shooting to go with three rebounds, one assist and three fouls in 14:22 of playing time.

Before then, Drummond was momentarily ejected early in the second quarter.

The referee felt the Sixers’ backup center made contact with Wembanyama, leading to the Spurs standout landing on the floor. But after the play was reviewed, Wembanyama was called for a non-unsportsmanlike flopping penalty. As a result, Maxey was awarded a technical foul shot and Drummond was reinstated into the game.

But the referee later rescinded Wembanyama’s flopping penalty and took Maxey’s foul shot off the scoreboard.

Tensions were high after Drummond shoved Wembanyama to the floor twice moments earlier. That led to Drummond’s technical foul. Drummond, who had two points and three rebounds, sat out the second half with a left-toe contusion. The Sixers also lost KJ Martin in the second half with left foot soreness.