Tyrese Maxey scored 36 points and added 10 assists, and Joel Embiid recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Houston Rockets 128–122 in overtime Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center, according to CBS News.
The win evened Philadelphia’s home record at 12–12 and ended Houston’s three-game winning streak. Maxey scored six points in overtime, accounting for nearly half of Philadelphia’s production in the extra period.
Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 26 points for the 76ers. Paul George returned after missing two games because of left knee injury management and scored 10 points.
Houston was led by Kevin Durant’s 36 points, matching Maxey for game-high scoring. Amen Thompson added 17 points. The Rockets played without Steven Adams because of a left ankle sprain, and Aaron Holiday was ruled out after being downgraded from questionable to out with back spasms.
Pre-game betting markets narrowly favored Houston. DraftKings listed the Rockets as 2.5-point favorites with a 221.5 total, while other sportsbooks posted spreads between Rockets -1.5 and -2.0, with moneylines near Houston -130 and Philadelphia around +115, according to aggregated odds listings from Covers and Action Network. Championship futures pricing before the game placed Philadelphia between +4500 and +6000 to win the NBA title across major sportsbooks, with Eastern Conference odds near +1100 and Atlantic Division odds around +1400, based on VegasInsider and Covers futures boards. Historical odds tracking on Covers shows Philadelphia’s title odds during the season ranging from +2500 to +6600 at different points.
On the court, Philadelphia led 94–88 early in the fourth quarter but went 3 minutes and 23 seconds without a field goal as Houston went on a run. Reed Sheppard hit his third three-pointer of the quarter to give the Rockets a 105–96 lead with 6:25 remaining, their largest lead of the period.
The 76ers closed the gap and tied the game twice in the final minute. The final tie came when Maxey made a layup with 40.1 seconds left. On Philadelphia’s final possession of regulation, Durant blocked Maxey’s driving layup attempt with 13.2 seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime.
Philadelphia opened the extra period with a 5–0 run, starting with a Paul George three-pointer and a VJ Edgecombe basket after an offensive rebound. The 76ers kept the lead for the remainder of overtime, with Maxey scoring six of Philadelphia’s 14 points in the period.
Julius “Dr. J” Erving was in attendance at the game.
The 76ers are scheduled to host the Knicks on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as part of the NBA regular season.
