SALT LAKE CITY — Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 51 points hours after being selected to his first All-Star Game, helping the Philadelphia 76ers overcome star center Joel Embiid‘s absence for a 127-124 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
After missing three games because of a sprained left ankle, Maxey topped his previous career high of 50 — set Nov. 12 at home against Indiana — with two free throws with 4.1 seconds left.
Embiid has an injured lateral meniscus in his left knee and will miss games at least through the weekend. He was already set to sit out against Utah, but an MRI revealed the injury that will cause him to miss more time.
Tobias Harris added 28 points and Kelly Oubre, Jr. had 16 for Philadelphia. The 76ers finished 1-4 on their longest trip of the season.
Maxey was 17-of-27 from the field, 7-of-9 on 3s and 10-of-11 from the free throw line. He’s the first 76er player to have at least seven 2-point field goals, seven 3s and seven free throws.
Lauri Markkanen scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter for Utah, and Collin Sexton added 22. The Jazz have dropped three in a row.
Maxey made a 33-foot 3-pointer and then Patrick Beverley hit another 3 from the corner to put Philadelphia up 123-120.
The Jazz trailed almost all game but Markkanen and Sexton hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give them a 120-117 lead with 2:30 to play.
This story originally appeared on ESPN
