Jared McCain scored 30 points and Tyrese Maxey added 26 as the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 113-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.
Play without Joel Embid (swelling of the left knee) and Paul George (left knee bruise), Philadelphia’s young backcourt took over in the fourth quarter with an extended scoring surge that helped the Sixers rally from a nine-point deficit.
Embiid and George are expected to miss Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers before being reevaluated early next week.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Sixers (3-12, 1-2 NBA Cup), who won only their third game of the season and for the first time in the regular season. Philadelphia’s other wins were against Indiana (October 27) and Charlotte (November 10).
Brooklyn was led by Cameron Johnson, who scored 37 points. Keon Johnson added 18 points for the Nets (6-10, 1-2 NBA Cup), who have lost four of their last five games.
Nets: Brooklyn’s 18 turnovers allowed the Sixers to make 11 more shots than the Nets in the game.
76ers: With Embiid and George out, the growth of McCain — the club’s first-round pick out of Duke — is one of the few bright spots.
Maxey and McCain combined to score 19 straight points for the Sixers midway through the fourth quarter, turning a one-point deficit into a twelve-point lead.
McCain has scored 20 or more points in seven straight games.
Both teams will be back in action on Sunday evening. The Nets are in Sacramento while the Sixers host the LA Clippers.
