3 Observations after Maxey (39 points), short-handed Sixers fall in OT to Rockets, originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers came agonizingly close to a gutsy, shorthanded victory on Wednesday.

At the end of the evening they suffered another defeat.

The Rockets earned a 122-115 overtime victory at Wells Fargo Center to improve to 14-6. The Sixers fell to 3-14.

Tyrese Maxey had 39 points, 10 assists and five steals. Rockets guard Jalen Green scored 41 points.

The Sixers were without Joel Embiid (treatment for a left knee injury), Paul George (left knee bruise) and Kyle Lowry (right hip strain).

Caleb Martin also missed his first game of the season due to back pain. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said before the game that Martin had been dealing with aches and pains in his back since he fell heavily on it in a win over the Nets last Friday. Martin was “everyday,” the nurse said.

The Sixers next travel to Detroit and play the Pistons on Saturday. Here are observations from their OT loss to Houston:

Sixers bring more juice

Nurse opened the evening with a Guerschon Yabusele-Andre Drummond frontcourt.

The bar was low, but the Sixers’ early energy was significantly higher than it was at the start of their stunning loss Sunday to the Clippers. Andre Drummond grabbed two offensive rebounds on the game’s first possession, Kelly Oubre Jr. made a chase-down block against Dillon Brooks and the Sixers beat Houston on a few frantic plays. At times, the Rockets looked like a team playing on the night of an overtime win.

However, the Sixers’ shooting was still poor early on. The team started 2-for-9 from the floor and 1-for-8 from three-point range. Jared McCain narrowly missed two three-pointers but managed to do some damage in the paint. He made a left-field fast-break layup against Rockets big man Alperen Sengun and a pull-up mid-range jumper. The Sixers jumped out to a 7-0 lead and secured an 11-10 lead.

Unfortunately for the Sixers, Green’s score was the story of the first quarter. Green was shooting 30.3 percent from three-pointers this season before Wednesday’s game and dropped three long jumpers in the first period. Houston took a 35-24 lead after Fred VanVleet hit a late three-pointer and hit the buzzer to score the first point. Once again, it didn’t take long for the Sixers to fall behind by double digits.

Bright night for the council

Both Maxey and McCain took on a heavy attacking load when the other was on the bench.

Both forced some contested shots from mid-range, although it would be understandable if they didn’t instinctively see driving and throwing to the shooters as a strong option. The Sixers regularly missed decent three-point opportunities and lost numerous possessions until the last seconds of the shot clock.

Ricky Council IV checked in with 10:29 left in the second quarter and immediately provided the decisive spark. He slammed a miss from McCain, eagerly joined the rebounding contest and constantly tried to create fast breaks. Council wasn’t perfect in any of these endeavors, but his activity and athleticism were both welcome.

KJ Martin also played an extended stint during a Sixers second quarter run. Martin converted two lefty finishes, Maxey sank a three-pointer and two Yabusele free throws gave the Sixers a 49-48 lead late in the second quarter.

Martin and Council were the only two members of the Sixers’ second unit after halftime. Council (12 points, 10 rebounds) was impressive again, logging a season-high 27 minutes. In a crowd-favorite sequence, he made a tough three-pointer late in the shot clock, then stole the ball from Green and dropped a deft pass in transition to Yabusele, who was fouled.

The Sixers force a frenetic finish but cannot cope in OT

A brutal offensive night from Brooks — 0 for 11 from the floor — helped the Sixers’ defense on Wednesday.

In contrast, Yabusele (22 points, seven rebounds) increased his season three-point percentage to 43.5 with a 4-on-6 game. Maxey assisted on a pick-and-pop three-pointer from Yabusele and then hit one of his own early in the third quarter.

Drummond also played well in the third period. He was solid in his matchup against Sengun and had effective disruptive moments when venturing to the perimeter in pick-and-roll coverage.

On offense, the Sixers occasionally mixed in Yabusele post-ups, but for the most part continued to rely on Maxey and McCain. The Sixers were vehemently dissatisfied with several no-calls on aggressive Maxey drives. He made 34 field goals and five free throws in the game.

However, the All-Star guard didn’t stop attacking, making several crucial throws as Houston was on the verge of a meaningful run. His closely guarded three-pointer in front of the Sixers’ bench cut the Rockets’ lead to 104-100 with 3:27 left in the fourth quarter.

It hurt the Sixers that McCain had an off-shooting game for the second straight game. Against the Clippers and Rockets, he shot a total of 9-for-34 from the field and 2-for-18 from three-point range.

However, towards the end of the fourth quarter, the council made a big leap, leading to a hectic final phase of regulation. In the end, Maxey caused a crucial foul on Brooks and was whistled while shooting a three-pointer with 11.1 seconds left. He made all three of his free throws to tie the game at 108 points.

After a timeout, the Rockets isolated Sengun against Drummond. Martin came along at the perfect moment to help, blocking Sengun’s mid-range attempt and sending the fight into overtime.

The Sixers got off to a great start in the extra session, quickly taking the lead with a Yabusele corner three, but Houston scored the next nine points. Sengun prevailed with six putbacks and a clever spinning layup.

The Rockets had a cleaner finish in overtime than they did in the fourth quarter and ended their meeting with two OT wins. The Sixers have a 2-1 record in overtime games this year and will go 11 games under .500 on the road.