Sixers squeak past Utah Jazz, thanks to key free throws from Paul George and Tyrese Maxey
The victory over the Jazz became the team's ninth win in its last 12 games this season.
SALT LAKE CITY — The foul call with the shot clock dwindling prompted a challenge by Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy, then boos from the home crowd when the whistle stood, then cheers when Paul George missed the first free throw.
But the 76ers’ perennial All-Star sank the second attempt, then split another pair on his team’s ensuing possession. Tyrese Maxey added another two with 2.4 seconds to play, helping the Sixers overcome a sluggish start to secure a 114-111 victory Saturday night at the Delta Center.
“Not as clutch as I wanted,” George said from the postgame locker room. “But it was enough to get enough cushion to kind of seal the win. That’s the moments you’re in the gym, you train for, you prepare. I’m usually great in those situations, but it just takes a little more focus on my behalf. I’ll be better in those situations.”
It was the Sixers’ ninth win in their past 12 games, continuing their overall positive momentum that has largely coincided with gaining health and continuity. They beat the rebuilding Jazz despite being outrebounded, 48-32, and allowing Utah to get into the paint with relative ease for inside finishes, lob passes, and kick-outs for three-point attempts.
And it included some late drama, when Lauri Markkanen buried a three-pointer to get the Jazz within 112-111 with 4.1 seconds remaining, before Maxey’s final free throws.
Joel Embiid finished with 32 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals — including the go-ahead jumper with less than two minutes to play — after entering the game listed as questionable to play with a left foot sprain and sinus fracture. Maxey added 32 points, six assists, and two steals. George’s 13 points and five steals came after he sat a significant portion of the second half with five fouls. Guerschon Yabusele had 12 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in 22 minutes off the bench.
The Sixers erased a six-point deficit with about seven minutes remaining, when Utah’s Walker Kessler converted an alley-oop dunk through contact. Embiid was naturally at the epicenter of the mini-rally, with an inside finish and then an old-fashioned three-point play to get the Sixers within 101-100 with less than five minutes to play.
Later, Embiid knocked away a lob attempt to Kessler on the defensive end, then somehow dished the ball while falling to Maxey for an end-of-the-shot-clock three-pointer that put the Sixers up 105-103 with 3:03 to play. Embiid then hit a midrange jumper to give the Sixers a 110-108 advantage with less than two minutes to go.
At the start of the game, the Sixers looked like the team that had played eight of their past nine games on the road, while the Jazz looked like the squad coming off their best win of the season at the Boston Celtics on Christmas. The Sixers trailed 42-28 early in the second quarter, before answering with a 20-5 run, including a George behind-the-back pass to Maxey for a one-handed dunk that gave them a three-point advantage.
The Sixers continue their Western Conference swing on Monday at the Portland Trail Blazers (10 p.m., NBCSP), before a back-to-back at the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.