Sixers-Rockets takeaways: Marcus Morris Sr. shows why he shouldn’t be traded

HOUSTON — The 76ers better get something extraordinary back for Marcus Morris if they plan on trading him. Otherwise, he should be untouchable.

Tyrese Maxey can carry the Sixers for an extended amount of time with his scoring. And Tobias Harris does whatever his team needs.

Those three things stood out in the Sixers’ 131-127 victory over the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.

Sixers president Daryl Morey might want to think long and hard before trading Morris. The 6-foot-8 forward has been a great addition since the team acquired him in the James Harden trade with the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 1.

Morris has provided leadership, toughness, and elite three-point shooting after getting in game shape. But his worth was on full display against the Rockets (15-15) as Joel Embiid missed his third consecutive game with a sprained right ankle.

Maxey had a game-high 42 points and Harris added 22 points and seven assists along with game highs of four steals and three blocks. But the Sixers (22-9) don’t win without Morris’ late heroics.

The reserve forward played the entire fourth quarter as the small-ball center, scoring 10 of his 14 points. He made 3 of 4 shots — including going 2-for-3 on three-pointers — in addition to finishing with three rebounds, a block and a steal.

Morris’ first three-pointer gave the Sixers a 106-104 lead with 6 minutes, 27 seconds to play. He scored on a four-point play to give his team a 126-122 cushion with 31.6 left. And with the Sixers clinging to a three-point lead, Morris grabbed a defensive rebound with 1.8 seconds left.

“I was just trying to come over there to help and try to get a rebound,” he said, “because they were killing us on the glass earlier.

“We were telling each other, ‘We, all five, about to get in there,’ For me to get the game-winning rebound was pretty cool.”

His impact on and off the floor is part of the reason why the Sixers have been excelling as a unit.

“He’s been huge,” Maxey said. “He’s been huge since we got him. Since he settled into his role, he knows what the coach wants from him, he knows what we need from him.”

It was important for Maxey to fill a lot of the scoring load with Embiid out. And the point guard did just that with his second-highest scoring game of the season.

He kept attacking the basket and scoring circus-type shots to keep the Sixers in the game early. His aggressiveness led to his 27 first-half points.

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris deliver for the Sixers in Houston

“I thought he was really great with his jets on tonight,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I just loved it when he just took off and tried to make a play. He took some hits and some bumps and some whatever, but he got to the free throw line a bunch because he was aggressive and seeking the contract.

" [He] didn’t get a ton rolling from the three-point line, but he did throw in a couple. I loved his aggressiveness tonight.”

Maxey made 14 of 15 free throws and went 13 of 26 from the field, including 2 of 9 on threes.

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey learning to make most of Sixers’ moments without Joel Embiid: ‘It’s expected, right?’

“Starting early, it was kind of rocky,” Maxey said. “They came out and hit us in the mouth. I just wanted to be ultra-aggressive to help my teammates get into the game. Sometimes it happens like that. Once we got into it and we finally settled in, we were good.”

Harris’ scoring slump is over.

Being more aggressive, Harris has scored at least 20 points in his last four games. But on this night, he also played stellar defense and made all the right plays.

» READ MORE: Sixers grades: Tobias Harris’ defense outshines his offense

“The seven assists from him is a bunch from the position, I think, considering, he doesn’t handle it all that much in what we’re doing,” Nurse said.

The Sixers did run a good portion of pick-and-roll for Harris and Maxey that enabled him to get the ball in scoring opportunities.

“I also thought he handled the physicality great,” Nurse said. “They were standing him up. He was trying to get left. … He just kept knocking his way back in there and making some tough buckets. He’s been really good lately. I think it’s just, he feels confident right now. I love it.”