NBA Cup: Tyrese Maxey late surge helps 76ers hold off Hornets

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drive in during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets in an NBA Cup game at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Paul George poured in 29 points to match his season high and Tyrese Maxey notched the final 11 Philadelphia points as the 76ers survived for a 110-104 victory against the host Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Cup on Tuesday night.

Maxey ended up with 10 of his 21 points on free throws as Philadelphia won consecutive games for the first time this season despite squandering a 19-point second-half lead. Jared McCain had 17 points off the 76ers’ bench, Kelly Oubre Jr. added 14 points and George contributed eight assists.

Brandon Miller racked up 34 points and Nick Richards was good for 22 points and 14 rebounds, but the Hornets took their sixth straight loss. Cody Martin had 12 points, and Tidjane Salaun added 10 points and 10 boards.

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The Hornets were down by 14 with less than 11 minutes to play but pulled within 91-89 with more than five minutes left. The big boost came from Miller, who drained three 3-pointers in less than 2 1/2 minutes.

With Philadelphia going almost two minutes without scoring, the Hornets finally caught up at 95-95 with 3:10 to play on two free throws from KJ Simpson. Charlotte took the lead at 100-99 when a Philadelphia turnover led to Miller’s 3-pointer with 1:32 to go.

Maxey sank 3 of 4 free throws across an eight-second span as the 76ers regained the lead. Simpson tied it with two foul shots at the 44-second mark.

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Maxey’s drive with 29.7 seconds remaining put Philadelphia back on top. Maxey added four more made free throws and a basket as the 76ers sealed the win.

Charlotte was in control of the boards for most of the night, finishing with a 47-31 edge. The 76ers’ Guerschon Yabusele grabbed a team-high 12.

George went 6-for-9 on 3-point attempts and Oubre, a former Hornet, connected on 4 of 5 long-range attempts.

Miller went 7-for-16 from 3-point range, accounting for more than half of Charlotte’s 13 baskets from beyond the arc.

The 76ers have won five games this season, two of those against Charlotte.

The 76ers held a 55-44 halftime lead and extended the gap to 78-59 by late in the third quarter. Charlotte countered with a 10-2 run to end the period. –Field Level Media