February 27, 2026
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
Joel Embiid had an up-and-down return to the Xfinity Mobile Arena floor on Thursday night.
PHILADELPHIA – Before and as the Sixers played host to the Miami Heat on Thursday night, the feeling was palpable: this game was more important than just one out of 82.
As Sixers head coach Nick Nurse pointed out, a Miami win would have secured a season series victory and ensuing tiebreaker for the Heat, who would have climbed to just 0.5 games back of the Sixers for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, the final surefire playoff spot.
But, as Nurse and Tyrese Maxey both mentioned after the game, the Sixers had not been a particularly good home team all season. Now 16-15 at home in 2025-26 after a 124-117 win over the Heat, the Sixers felt they needed a decisive win against a challenging opponent in a game with genuine stakes on its home floor.
In the return of Friday film, dissecting three of the key figures in the Sixers' successful mission to defend their home floor against an opponent that always gives them fits:
When the Sixers were facing the Pacers in Indiana on Tuesday, Tyrese Maxey knew exactly how many three-pointers he needed to become the Sixers' all-time franchise leader. In fact, he knew too well.
"Trendon [Watford] messed me up the last game," Maxey said. "I had no idea I was that close."
Maxey made two early threes, and his close friend Watford was on him.
"You might as well break the record then," Watford said.
Maxey was confused.
"What record?" he asked. "I've only got eight points."
Watford explained what he was talking about. It turns out, that did not help.
"I missed every three after that," Maxey said.
With the 25-year-old star guard only four triples away from surpassing Allen Iverson for the record, there was some extra life in the building when Maxey drained triples on back-to-back possessions in the opening minutes of the game. And this time around, he had no trouble getting hot from long range. Plus, Maxey acknowledged after the game, he was eager to set the record in Philadelphia and while donning the Iverson-era black throwback jerseys. A bonus: the record-setting triple was assisted by Watford.
An early heater ensued. Within minutes, the record was handled – and after Maxey received a raucous ovation from the crowd, the rest of the night could be about notching an important win:
Tyrese Maxey needed four threes against Miami on Thursday to become the Sixers' all-time franchise leader in made triples. He made five in the first quarter: pic.twitter.com/7moO4SQLwn
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 27, 2026
After the game, Maxey held the game ball and ran through a list of people deserving of his thanks. Sixers fans, who he called "a big part of my success." Iverson, for being a small guard he could look up to. The Sixers organization, for drafting him after a bunch of teams surprisingly passed. Former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, who was once upon a time incredibly tough on a rookie guard from Kentucky. Current Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, for arriving in Philadelphia and immediately telling Maxey he believed in him. To former teammate Tobias Harris, for continually telling Maxey he was a great shooter during his rookie season. And, lastly, to Joel Embiid, who has "been on" Maxey about shooting 10 threes per game since his second or third year and has formed one of the NBA's most lethal two-man games with him.
"He obviously took care of that early in the game tonight," Nurse said. "But it's an amazing record. And I think he's going to have some time to increase it, right? [It'll] be a tough one to beat by the time he's done."
MORE: Seven Sixers' recall when 'everything was weird' and Maxey's star ascent began
Since Paul George was suspended for 25 games – he has about four weeks remaining on the shelf – the Sixers' best lineups have been smaller, with Maxey sharing the floor with two other guards – ideally VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes – and Kelly Oubre Jr. sliding up to a small-ball power forward role. This combination, which helped power the Sixers' early-season success, is now once again of the utmost importance with George sidelined and both Watford and Jabari Walker profiling as situational pieces more than rotation mainstays.
The Sixers would not have won Thursday's game without Oubre, who chipped in 21 points, six of which came on a pair of clutch threes to hold off a resurgent Miami team in the final minutes of the fourth quarter:
All eight baskets from Kelly Oubre Jr.'s 21-point night in the Sixers' win over Miami on Thursday: pic.twitter.com/e0gHplGdMt
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 27, 2026
Oubre has always been a willing three-point shooter, and sometimes volume is even more important than accuracy from beyond the arc. But across the first 10 years of his NBA career, Oubre shot 32.5 percent from three-point range. Oubre's career-high three-point percentage was 35.2 percent in 2019-20, his lone full season with the Phoenix Suns.
After 37 games in 2025-26, Oubre is shooting 37.6 percent from three-point range on 5.0 attempts per game. Is it simple shooting variance? Is it the product of Oubre finally taking time over the offseason to address a wrist issue that he had said was ailing him since before he arrived in Philadelphia in 2023? Is it both? Whatever it is, it gives the Sixers a much higher floor as a team. Nurse thinks it could be a sign of things to come.
"I think when you get Kelly making more than one three a night, and also up around 20 [points], we're going to have a pretty good offensive night," Nurse said. "I would say, probably, one of our biggest pluses of the year is his three-point shooting is – I mean, it looks great coming off his hands. It looks like it's going in every time he takes one. It just feels like he's improved that, in technique, in work and in confidence, and that is huge for us for him to be able to go out there and him them."
In his second game back from a five-game absence, the Sixers were hoping to use Embiid for about 30 minutes. In the second quarter, Embiid took a shot to the ribs from Heat second-year big Kel'el Ware and tailed off afterwards, clearly playing through significant pain. (Nurse did not have any update on Embiid's condition immediately after the game, and Embiid left the locker room before reporters entered. The Sixers will not practice on Friday, so the next update on how Embiid is doing will likely come after the team gets back on the practice floor Sunday.)
The Sixers had reached their 30-minute target for Embiid midway through the fourth quarter. But after a 5-0 run from Maxey and Oubre put the Sixers ahead by four points with 67 seconds left, Nurse summoned the former NBA MVP for one last burst.
"If he feels like he's able to go a little further, we can push that out a few minutes here and there," Nurse said.
It is good news for the Sixers that Embiid felt capable of logging a few more possessions. He helped the Sixers secure a stop upon checking back in, then knocked down the dagger triple:
Joel Embiid's dagger three-point shot in the Sixers' win over Miami on Thursday: pic.twitter.com/HMppXhkj7Z
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 27, 2026
It was a gutsy moment for Embiid, whose pain appeared to be significant for the majority of the game.
"I think that shows a lot," Edgecombe said. "The media is trying to make it seem like he [doesn't] want to play basketball. I mean, come on. He's out there in pain, and he made a big shot at the end of the game. Like, he barely could have raised his right hand up. And that just shows his character, too. He cares about winning. It's Jo. It's Joel Embiid, bro. That's who we're talking about right now. I know they try to just paint this bad picture about him, but it's not true, man. I'm going to say it here: it's not true. It's not true. He wants to play, and he wants to do what's best for the team and what's best for him."
