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Tyrese Maxey said the Philadelphia 76ers never lost sight of the goal on Wednesday night. After scoring 31 points in a 109-97 win over the Orlando Magic, he made clear the plan was simple: “No. We definitely wanted to win tonight.”
The victory at Xfinity Mobile Arena sent Philadelphia into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 7 seed and set up a first-round series against Boston. For Maxey, the biggest priority was not saving energy for later, but finishing the job at home.
“Wanted to, you know, win in front of our home crowd and try to get as much rest as we possibly can,” Maxey said.
When Orlando trimmed the lead to one in the fourth quarter, Maxey took over and scored seven straight points. He said the burst came from conviction, not choreography.
“It was just me deciding like, listen, I want to be aggressive,” Maxey said. “I had some really good looks that I missed early, like in the third, kind of that I made in the first half.”
Maxey also credited the supporting cast for opening the floor and making the late run possible. Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. were among the names he singled out for their screens and spacing.
“Drummond did a really good job of setting screens,” Maxey said. “Kelly did a really good job of just setting screens and holding them and playing some space.”
The win carried extra weight because Joel Embiid was back around the team after his emergency appendectomy last week. Maxey called that presence a lift for the group.
“Huge, man. Huge,” he said. “I gave him a big hug. I was glad to see him, man. And his spirits are high.”
Maxey also praised V.J. Edgecombe, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in the kind of poised performance that mattered in a tense game. “He was great, man,” Maxey said. “He played hard. He played really good defensively.”
Looking ahead to Boston, Maxey sounded ready for the challenge. “Yeah, it’s gonna be tough. It’s going to be fun, though,” he said.
He also stressed the mentality the 76ers will need in the next round. “I want to win. So that’s all that matters,” Maxey said. “We ain’t backing down from nobody.”
