Tyrese Maxey scores a career-high 52 as Sixers top Spurs in double OT for fifth straight win

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The 76ers played a lot of games without Joel Embiid in February and March when he was sidelined with his knee injury. But Nick Nurse was still eager to see how they would respond without him on Sunday night when the star center was rested after having returned to play the three previous games.

“It hasn’t been easy most nights,” the Sixers coach said before his team faced the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center.

“It turns us into having to play really, really well and really hard,” Nurse added. “Hopefully some of these guys can make up for him. But we are missing not only his scoring but shot blocking, space creation, and shot creation, all that stuff.”

Fortunately for Nurse, he had Tyrese Maxey available against the Spurs. The All-Star point guard scored a career-high 52 points to lead the Sixers to 133-126 victory in double overtime on a night when they were also missing starters Tobias Harris and Kyle Lowry.

Playing 53 minutes, 57 seconds, Maxey wouldn’t allow Nurse to sub him out of the game. The fourth-year veteran made 19 of 41 field goal attempts and went 12-for-12 from the foul line. He also had five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and just one turnover.

“We know how important these games are,” Maxey said of refusing to come out. “It’s playoff time, postseason time. I just didn’t want to let us lose, and I just wanted to do whatever I could to exert all my energy. I could live with the result after that.

“No matter how tired, no matter how sore, I just wanted to go out and try to help us win.”

While Maxey did most of the damage, the Sixers put the game away with a 10-0 run to end the second overtime. The Spurs’ star rookie center Victor Wembanyama didn’t attempt a shot attempt during the entire second extra session while being guarded by Nico Batum.

The Sixers also picked up their ball pressure from around perimeter during that time.

“We jarred a few [balls] loose when they were just trying to it into him,” Nurse said. “The we jarred one loose from him, too. So it was basically just old-fashioned ball pressure. That ended up being a huge benefit just at the right time.”

Maxey joined Allen Iverson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Embiid as the only players in franchise history to score 50 or more points at least three times in a season. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 26 points, while Paul Reed, starting in place of Embiid, had 11 points and 10 rebounds. In addition to finishing with three steals, Batum had nine points with three huge three-pointers. Ricky Council IV had 11 points and a game-high four steals off the bench.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid doesn’t need regular-season awards. He’s already won just by being back out on the floor.

Wembanyama, the presumptive rookie of the year, finished with 33 points along with game-highs of 18 rebounds and seven blocks. The 7-foot-4 post player also altered numerous other shot attempts on a night when he made 5 of 10 three-pointers.

The Sixers improved to 44-35 and extended their winning streak to five games. They also moved into seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. They’re a half-game ahead of the eighth-place Miami Heat with three games remaining.

The Sixers may have a tough time catching the sixth-place Indiana Pacers after they defeated the Heat, 117-115 on Sunday.

They would have to win two of their remaining three games while the Pacers lose two of their final three in order to finish sixth. However, the Sixers are in the driver’s seat to clinch the No. 7 seed and host the Heat in a No. 7 vs. No. 8 Play-in Tournament game on April 16.

Before their 135-120 road victory over the Toronto Raptors on March 31, the Sixers struggled while Embiid was sidelined with a torn meniscus in his left knee. At times, they resembled a lottery team. But once he returned, the Sixers posted three straight victories over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, and Memphis Grizzlies over a span of five days. Not surprisingly, Embiid had Sunday off because it was the second night of a back-to-back.

Lowry has not played in both nights of back-to-backs since joining the Sixers on Feb. 13. Harris missed his third consecutive game with a knee bone bruise.

The Sixers improved to 15-27 in games without Embiid this season.

The Sixers return home to play the Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Pistons (13-65) have the league’s worst record. Chimezie Metu is coming off a 20-point, seven-rebound, three-assist performance in Saturday’s 113-100 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The power forward went 9-for-9 from the field.