PHILADELPHIA, PA. – On February 26, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Miami Heat 124-117 at home to improve their season record to 33-26.
Tyrese Maxey led with another phenomenal performance that saw him put up 28 points, 11 assists, and five steals, and made history while doing so.
With five threes on the night, Maxey broke Sixers icon Allen Iverson’s record for most three pointers in franchise history with 886. Maxey has become a staple in Philadelphia sports history, and now etched his name in the record books once again.
“AI is somebody who we’ve all looked up to, who I looked up to being a small guard,” said Maxey. “To be able to pass him in anything in basketball, that’s cool. To have my name next to his is a blessing.”
Twenty of Maxey’s 28 points came in the first quarter, as both the 76ers and Heat combined for a total of 71 in the first 15 minutes of the outing. However, Philly took off in the second quarter, outscoring Miami 37-22 to go up 73-57.
Miami pulled off a huge comeback coming out of the half, outscoring the 76ers 34-26 in the third quarter and turning the 16-point lead into a close game heading into the fourth.
Unfortunately, the Heat were unable to capitalize despite rallying to make the contest competitive, even taking a lead with just under three minutes left. With 29.2 seconds remaining, Joel Embiid hit a three to put the Sixers up 124-117, as Miami was unable to answer.
“I think also, [it was] important that we got a good home win,” said head coach Nick Nurse. “I think it was good that we played really well in clutch time basketball against a good team.”
Alongside Maxey, Embiid put up his first double-double since January with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Kelly Oubre Jr. also had 21 points on the night.
Bam Adebayo had 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat, as Tyler Herro chipped in with 25 of his own. However, it was not enough to secure the win for Miami as both Norman Powell and Kel’el Ware failed to contribute on the offensive side of the ball.
With this victory over Miami, the 76ers are now on a three-game winning streak, slowly moving closer to that fifth seeded spot in the NBA Eastern Conference.
As for the Heat, they have now suffered back-to-back losses as they fall to a 31-29 record. They currently sit at eighth in the East, though they are still just one game behind the Magic despite being unable to get the win over Philadelphia.
Following this win, the Sixers will go on the road to take on divisional rivals Boston Celtics. The Celtics are coming off a loss to the Nuggets, but still sit at second in the conference with a record of 38-20.
The Heat will now look to host the Houston Rockets, who are currently on a three-game winning streak and have won four of their last five.
Maxey is already a multiple-time NBA All-Star for Philadelphia, and is slowly but surely entering the conversation for all-time 76ers greats. It’s become apparent in the 2025-26 season that he’s officially taken over as the franchise leader, and now Maxey’s beginning to make history.
