Wow, Sixers-Spurs has certainly been an interesting matchup in Philly the last two seasons.

Philadelphia beat San Antonio 111-106 on Monday night in a game that can only be described as absolutely crazy.

Joel Embiid had nine points before exiting late in the second quarter.

Tyrese Maxey was able to pick up the slack in his absence, leading all scorers with 32 points, including the dunk and step-back three that iced the game. He also had ten rebounds and eight assists.

Paul George finished with 19 points and nine goals on 6-of-16 shooting. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with the 26 and also became public enemy No. 1 in Philadelphia.

Here are some thoughts on the buzzer.

First quarter

• It was a pretty good start for the Stars as Embiid hit Wembanyama squarely on his first touch of the game, drawing a foul. A few moments later, he hit a three-pointer on a broken play. Wemby shadowed Embiid early, which gave the Sixers room to work inside the paint when Embiid lined up outside. George also threw down a few jumpers, giving him a better start than his last two games.

• Things slowed down considerably as the Sixers went scoreless over the next three minutes. That the first subs of the night were Reggie Jackson and Kyle Lowry (at the same time) was a bit puzzling, but for the most part it was just missing shots from the Big 3 during this stretch.
• Embiid headed back out to finish his shift, but when he went to the bench and checked Wemby back in, everything turned around. The Spurs made their last three shots of the quarter and took a one-point lead after a slow first goal.

Second quarter

• While they found ways to put points on the board, Wemby celebrated on the sidelines when Embiid was out of the game. He had seven blocks in the first half and six of them came in the stretch between the end of the first and the beginning of the second.
• Things got weird when he gave Andre Drummond a couple of fouls as he tried to break free on an inbounds. The second of those fouls earned Drummond a tech. Wemby flopped on the next inbound attempt, but the referee saw him hit the deck and immediately hit Drummond with a second T, causing him to be ejected. The play was reviewed and the decision was reversed, allowing Drummond to get back into the game. I can’t say I’ve seen this before!

• This madness only continued when Wemby went down again and tried to sell an offensive foul on Embiid, which he succeeded in doing. After the Sixers attempted to review the play, Embiid received two fouls and was ejected. He angrily ran straight towards the referees and threw his mask away. I’m pleased that all the fans who came to see the referees tonight got their money’s worth.

• Oh yes, right, the game. Guerchson Yabusele and George immediately canceled out the points the Spurs had scored with those technical free throws with two three-pointers. They had a few good possessions toward the end of the half, but Maxey faltered in the final half and suffered a shot clock violation. Yet the Sixers somehow ended that half with a three-point lead.

Third quarter

• The Sixers started the second half with Yabusele in Embiid’s place, and he did a really good job. He turned around to play a lazy post-entry pass but was rewarded with a quick five points on the other side. He seems to have overcome last week’s crisis. However, his burden for tonight only increased when Drummond was sidelined in the third game with a bruised toe.

• It was a good thing the three-ball benefited the Sixers because they weren’t going to beat the Spurs inside tonight. There haven’t been many nights this season where Caleb Martin has shot multiple threes (two games before tonight, to be exact), but perhaps this time off benefited him because he hit two of his first threes tonight. The second came in the middle of a 14-0 run by the Sixers.
• The scoring fluctuated a bit after that run, but George was able to get the offense going with some pull-up jumpers and free throw attempts – exactly the type of situations you’d like to see him in. The Sixers ended the third period with a nine-point lead.

Fourth quarter

• A lot of the Sixers’ good offense early on was just good shooting, but early in the fourth period they were moving the ball really well. Lowry came up for a jumper but instead opted to pass to a cutting Yabu for a baseline dunk. On the next possession, Yabu Wembyanyama faked a pump factor and sent it around the horn for another three-pointer from Caleb Martin. However, the Spurs, who started the fourth game 4-of-6 from three-point range, kept them going. They took advantage of the faster pace to go on offense while the Sixers were still on the rebound.
• San Antonio stayed hot from deep and eventually took the lead back with a three-pointer from Chris Paul. Maxey was able to take it back with a couple of layups – it was a game of cat and mouse between him and Wemby all night, trying to get Wemby far enough for Maxey to get to the rim with a burst of speed. The Sixers’ Summer League legend, Julian Champagnie, equalized again with a three-pointer.
• Trying to steal a Zumoff-ism, the two teams shuttled back and forth on the seesaw for the next two minutes. Maxey got a steal in the backcourt and took the lead again with an absurd dunk with 59 seconds left. After another steal before the Spurs crossed halfcourt, he hit a stepback three-pointer to give them some cushion and blocked it.

• What better way to celebrate a holiday than with these Philadelphia 76ers? They will be back in action for their first meeting against the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day at 5 p.m. on ABC and ESPN.