Justin Edwards’ only 3-pointer of the game opened the scoring in overtime and gave Philadelphia a lead it never relinquished and Tyrese Maxey scored a career-best 54 points as the 76ers pulled away for a 123-114 victory over the host Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
In a game without injured stars Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Edwards played hero in hitting his seventh 3-point shot of the game just 40 seconds into overtime. His offensive rebound on a missed foul shot with less than a minute to play led to two lead-extending free throws by Quentin Grimes.
Maxey hit four overtime free throws — all in the final 22.7 seconds — to complement key late contributions by Edwards and Grimes, who nailed a 3-pointer with the 76ers up just one with 1:23 to play.
Earlier, a short jumper by Bobby Portis gave the Bucks a 83-77 lead in the first minute of the fourth quarter before the 76ers responded with 10 of the game’s next 12 points, resulting in the first of six lead changes in the final 9:26 of regulation.
Maxey created the overtime-producing tie by hitting two free throws with 7.0 seconds left, after a Myles Turner 3-pointer 8.1 seconds earlier had given the Bucks a two-point lead.
Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee’s leading scorer with 32 points, misfired on a potential game-winner at the horn.
Maxey’s 54 points were two more than his previous high of 52, set on April 27, 2024, at San Antonio. It was the sixth 50-point game of the NBA season, the first in the Eastern Conference.
He shot 18-for-30 overall and 6-for-15 on 3-pointers while also finding time for a team-high nine assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
Playing in just his second game of the season, Paul George chipped in with 21 points in 25 minutes for the 76ers, who improved to 2-0 in overtime games this season. Grimes finished with 14 points off the bench and VJ Edgecombe scored 12 to go with a team-high 10 rebounds.
Rollins amassed a game-high 14 assists and six rebounds for the Bucks, who lost their third straight. Turner also had a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while Portis had 19 points, Kyle Kuzma 17 and Gary Trent Jr. 11.
