Tyrese Maxey's 32 points carry Philadelphia past Cleveland

How Tyrese Maxey's 32 points beat Cleveland

Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points in 42 minutes as Philadelphia beat Cleveland 114-106. He drove a second half in which the Sixers won the quarters 37-21 and 32-16.

The line fits his standing in the league. Maxey ranked 13th of 260 rated players by TeamKeys Rating in 2025/2026, at 97.1, the best mark among the rated players in this game.

He matched Donovan Mitchell's 32 points for Cleveland, but he did it with 2 turnovers to Mitchell's 5. The real difference was the support each scorer received.

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Maxey's shooting, free throws and minutes in the 114-106 win

Maxey built his 32 mostly inside the arc, making 10/16 two-pointers, and added 6/8 free throws. His three-point shot was colder at 2/7.

He played 42 minutes, the most of any leading player in the game, and still turned the ball over only twice. Six assists and 2 steals lifted his PIR to 24.

Rebounding was not his job on the night, with 3. LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and V.J. Edgecombe did more of that work around him.

How Philadelphia came back after losing the first half

Philadelphia turned the game after the break, holding Cleveland to 21 points in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth. The Cavaliers had scored 35 and 34 in the opening two.

Joel Embiid gave Maxey the most help with 24 points, built on 7/12 two-pointers and 7/9 free throws. LeBron James added 17 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals, though with 5 turnovers.

Jaylen Brown scored 21, below the 28.4 he averaged across 78 games in 2025/2026. V.J. Edgecombe chipped in 11 points, 6 assists and 3 steals.

For Cleveland, Mitchell's 32 points and 10 rebounds earned a PIR of 29. Evan Mobley scored 18 and Jarrett Allen 14, yet the visitors faded after half-time.

What next for Philadelphia and Cleveland after 114-106

Philadelphia are 2-0 and ninth of 30 after the win, with the Milwaukee Bucks next on 24 October. Cleveland sit 20th at 0-1 and face the Brooklyn Nets on the same day.

For the Sixers, the question is how often Maxey can carry a 42-minute load this early in the season. A start like this one would be harder to recover from against Milwaukee.

Cleveland will study their second half closely. Mitchell gave them 32, but scoring 21 and 16 in the last two quarters let a winning position slip.