PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers were able to pick up a much-needed 109-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night at home, but they did have a little scare in the first half.
Hornets rookie Brandon Miller was trapped in the corner and as he was trying to escape, he accidentally forearmed Sixers star Tyrese Maxey in the face. Maxey was on the ground for a bit and began to bleed heavily.
Miller was called for a flagrant-2 foul and was ejected from the game as Maxey stayed in and scored 30 points to lead the Sixers to the win over the pesky Hornets.
“I was making a joke,” Maxey said after the win. “I got hit and I was like, ‘Oh no! Let me get up!’ Like I don’t want to go do that again, but I’m alright. I tell everybody I’m a soldier so it is what it is. I’m taking UFC lessons, though.”
Maxey was referring to the fact that he just got out of concussion protocol. It has been tough sledding as of late for the young star in terms of the hits he has taken as of late.
However, Maxey knows that Miller didn’t hit him intentionally. It was just an unfortunate play on the court.
“Also, I want to say, I know Brandon Miller didn’t mean to do that on purpose,” Maxey added. “The jokes I’m making are not personal.”
After the officials announced that Miller was hit with a flagrant-2, the jumbotron showed Maxey getting some work done on him by team trainer Kevin Johnson. Maxey looked into the camera with tissues in his bloody nostrils and he made a funny face that delighted the Wells Fargo Center crowd.
“I’m just having a little fun,” he smiled. “I mean, we have a great job. We’re blessed to wake up every single morning and do what we love to do, and I’m just a happy person and you know when it makes me happy, and playing basketball really makes me happy. So it was a cool moment and I just tried to make some fun out of it.”
😤 (literally) pic.twitter.com/181A2URoRd
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 17, 2024
The Hornets did rally without Miller and take the lead in the fourth quarter. It appeared that the Sixers were going to let another one slip away without Joel Embiid to save them, but Philadelphia received big plays from Maxey, Paul Reed, Mo Bamba, Kyle Lowry, and others down the stretch to pull off the win.
“I think guys did a good job of getting back to what they do best, and when we do that, I think we’re pretty good,” Maxey explained. “P-Reed was out there, he was dominating the glass and being active defensively. Mo Bamba got a few blocks today. He got his hands on a couple of deflections, and then KLow was big down the stretch as well. Not just his defensive presence, but just him being out there as a leader. We need that.”
The Sixers will take on the Miami Heat on Monday.
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