The closing minutes turned into an offensive duel between Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers’ All-Star snub, and Nikola Jokić, the Denver Nuggets’ three-time MVP. And Jokić’s scoring and playmaking — including a crucial floater with 12.

The one constant has been Maxey who has taken on the leadership mantle for this team. Rather than being flanked by Embiid and George, he has been running alongside undrafted rookie Justin Edwards along with young players like Ricky Council IV, Adem Bona, and others.

Maxey scored 42 against Denver on Friday night and moved past Charles Barkley for the second-most such games in franchise history.

Tyrese Maxey addressed the media following the Sixers’ 118-110 defeat against the Boston Celtics. ‘We shoulda won both of them games' – Maxey on Sixers blowing leads to Nuggets, Celtics originally app