Tyrese Maxey Excites Fans as Joel Embiid Battles Knee Injury in 76ers' Win vs. Nets

Joel Embiid did not look like an MVP for most of Thursday night. Luckily for the Philadelphia 76ers, Tyrese Maxey was there to pick up the slack.

With Embiid laboring through constant double-teams and hobbling through what appeared to be a potential knee injury suffered during the game, Maxey led the way with 25 points in Philly's 102-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Embiid (14 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, five turnovers, 5-of-13 from the field) never quite found a rhythm on the offensive end, though in crunch time he came up with a crucial block on a Spencer Dinwiddie layup attempt to help seal the game and a 3-0 series lead for the Sixers.

So he had one MVP moment in him after all.

Embiid earned plaudits for his enormous block, but it was Maxey who had NBA Twitter almost jumping for joy with his late-game surge, as he scored 10 points in the final 3:08 of regulation:

The Sixers needed every last Maxey bucket. He didn't just pick up the slack for Embiid; he also had to replace the scoring output lost when James Harden (21 points) was ejected late in the third quarter.

This was a strange game. Embiid wasn't ejected but probably should have been after kicking up at Nic Claxton, who had stepped over him following a bucket.

Both Harden and Claxton would later be ejected—Harden for a pushoff near the groin area of Royce O'Neale, Claxton for picking up a second technical foul after taunting Embiid.

Embiid also appeared to be hobbled after taking a number of falls throughout the game. He played in crunch time with five fouls. The Nets sent constant double-teams his way and played physical with him.

And yet he managed to come up with the game's key play.

This wasn't a pretty win, but a road victory with a key player ejected and the potential MVP struggling is a pretty good sign for these Sixers. Far bigger challenges await them than a pesky but starless Nets side.

The Sixers stole one on Thursday, thanks primarily to Maxey's late surge and Embiid's crucial block. The series will resume on Saturday in Brooklyn at 1 p.m. ET on TNT.