How Tyrese Maxey rapidly returned from his finger injury — and fueled the Sixers’ crucial win over the Hornets

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The day Tyrese Maxey was diagnosed with a tendon strain in his little finger, he asked the medical professionals treating him how he could get back to playing basketball faster.

He received a splint to wear 24/7, without exceptions, along with an additional wrap that Maxey called “extra credit.” In three weeks, “we’ll give you a chance,” Maxey was told.

“Did exactly what they asked me to do,” he added.

That diligence is why, exactly three Saturdays after Maxey’s injury occurred, the 76ers’ All-Star guard could corral a long rebound in stride and dash to the opposite end of the Spectrum Center court. And then throw down a wicked, left-handed, game-tying dunk on the Hornets’ Miles Bridges. And then outwardly laugh when, after Maxey playfully held out his hand to shake at midcourt heading into a timeout, Bridges rebuffed him.

It was the most ferocious moment of a dazzling return for Maxey, who totaled 26 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in a critical 118-114 late-season victory over the Hornets, with whom the Sixers are jockeying for postseason positioning. Maxey joined Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Kelly Oubre Jr. as key Sixers who have come back to game action within the last week, fueling Saturday’s victory in Charlotte and offering glimpses of this group’s potential if it can remain healthy.

“When we’re in a bind and we need a quick basket or we need some tempo or some pace, he’s there,” George said of Maxey. “ … His presence on the floor is undeniable.”

The Sixers victory — which required rallying from 15 points down in the third quarter with an excellent final period — came against a Charlotte team that was one of the NBA’s hottest since the calendar flipped to 2026.

It also kept the Sixers (41-33) in seventh place in the jumbled Eastern Conference standings entering Sunday, and moved them within a half-game of the sixth-place Atlanta Hawks (42-33) and fifth-place Toronto Raptors (41-32). It also clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker for the Sixers over the Hornets (39-35), who dropped from eighth place to 10th with the loss. Another Sixers tiebreaker is on the line Monday when they visit the Miami Heat (39-35), who entered Sunday in ninth place.

Maxey’s terrific Saturday arrived one game after Embiid (oblique) and George (suspension) returned for Wednesday’s blowout of the Chicago Bulls, anchoring a 157-point outburst that was the Sixers’ highest single-game total since 1970. On Friday, Oubre broke his own news that he planned to return Saturday from an elbow sprain that had sidelined him for eight games.

Yet getting Maxey back reignited the Sixers’ ultimate example of productivity and durability. He entered Sunday ranked fourth in the NBA in scoring (28.9 points per game), while leading the league in minutes per game (38.3). He also is averaging 6.7 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2 steals per game.

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Maxey’s return also arrived at least a couple of days sooner than expected — at least to outsiders.

On March 10, the Sixers released an update that Maxey would be reevaluated in approximately three weeks, or around March 31. The next step after that is typically resuming basketball activities — such as practices, shootarounds, and full-contact scrimmaging — before being cleared for game action.

As recently as a week ago, Maxey was still playfully shooting solely with his left hand before his team’s win at the Utah Jazz. He shifted to using his right hand in recent days, and was going through some individual ballhanding and shooting work following Friday’s practice.

But Maxey said Saturday that he had not participated in five-on-five scrimmaging before playing against the Hornets. He also did not know until Saturday morning — when he passed final tests and had discussions with medical staff, including a videoconference with his hand specialist — that he would be cleared for that night’s game.

“You know what, I’ve been working my tail off,” Maxey told himself. “And I want to be there for my team, so I was there.”

Maxey’s first quarter — when his only bucket was a speedy transition layup and he played more off the ball — was quiet by his standards. Teammates were “kind of on me,” he acknowledged, saying, “Dude, all right. We know you just got back, but come on. Let’s play.”

So he sank a difficult turnaround jumper in the second period, then buried three three-pointers before the break. His efficient 10-of-18 mark from the floor for the game was evidence that this injury will not impact Maxey’s shooting as dramatically as last season’s to the same finger. While he still wore a less clunky splint Saturday, not needing to attach his little finger to his healthy ring finger with “buddy tape” is helpful, he said. So is the fact that he actually took time to rest the injury, rather than trying to immediately play through it like last season.

“This year, it’s still there, for sure,” Maxey said of the injury. “But it’s way different.”

The Sixers got additional contributions Saturday from a veteran group, which flexed its poise and experience in a charged environment against the upstart Hornets.

George was a defensive stalwart and scored eight of his 26 points in the third quarter, including what Maxey called “run-stoppers” that helped the Sixers chip away at an 86-71 deficit. Embiid amassed 21 of his 29 points before the break, then sailed into the Sixers’ bench after swatting a massive block on Brandon Miller’s potential game-tying three-point attempt with 7.4 seconds remaining. Rookie VJ Edgecombe continued his knack for knocking down important second-half shots, and veteran center Andre Drummond helped curtail the Hornets’ barrage of offensive rebounds with an unexpected fourth-quarter stint.

And Oubre — who also fast-tracked his return with no five-on-five scrimmaging before playing Saturday — was part of the closing lineup, including elevating for his own eye-popping fourth-quarter dunk through contact.

Fittingly, that slam was a result of a play that Maxey called for Oubre. After that, Maxey gave the Sixers a 103-102 lead with a finish high off the glass. When Maxey drew a foul in the final minute, Embiid effusively clapped before helping his teammate off the ground. After the game, coach Nick Nurse joked that he “eased” Maxey back in by playing him 43 minutes.

Three Saturdays after sustaining his injury, the All-Star point guard elevated the Sixers back to full strength.

It led to one of their best wins of the season.

And it provided a further glimpse of the Sixers’ potential — if they can stay healthy.

“I kind of knew the moment,” Maxey said. “And I think everybody did a really good job of responding.”