Jared McCain scored 30 points, Tyrese Maxey added 26, and despite playing without Joel Embiid or Paul George, the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a five-game losing skid on Friday with a 113-98 win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets for their first NBA Cup victory.
The rookie McCain posted his seventh consecutive game scoring 20-plus points, and his second professional game with at least 30, shooting 11-of-20 from the floor and 6-of-11 from 3-point range.
One of McCain’s triples ignited an 18-4 Sixers run in the third quarter, flipping Brooklyn’s biggest lead of the night at nine points to a 77-72 Philadelphia advantage.
Maxey had seven points during the Sixers’ surge and broke out again in the fourth quarter to help Philadelphia blow the game open. After five quick points from McCain, two of which came from one of Maxey’s five assists, Maxey scored on back-to-back drives to the rim and added a step-back 3-pointer for a 101-92 lead with 3:43 to go.
McCain and Maxey accounted for every Philadelphia point in the decisive 12-2 run.
All five Sixers starters scored in double figures, including Guerschon Yabusele, who paired 10 points with 11 rebounds. Yabusele made the start at center with Embiid a late scratch from the lineup due to knee injury management. George is out for at least one more game with a bone bruise in his left knee he suffered during Wednesday’s 117-111 loss at Memphis.
Caleb Martin added another 10 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 11 points and nine rebounds for the hosts.
Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson led all scorers with 37 points after putting up 34 in Tuesday’s 116-115 win at Charlotte. Johnson shot 9-of-13 from 3-point range, but the rest of the Nets went just 4-of-24 from beyond the arc.
Cam Thomas scored 18 points and dished seven assists in the loss. Thomas had seven turnovers, part of Brooklyn’s 19 as a team. The Sixers had 12 giveaways and outscored the Nets 28-12 in points off turnovers.
Nic Claxton rounded out Brooklyn’s double-digit scorers with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting off the bench. Claxton also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
The 76ers led 53-50 at halftime and carried a 79-77 edge into the fourth quarter.
With Friday’s result, both Philadelphia and Brooklyn moved to 1-2 in NBA Cup East Group A play.
