Things got tense between Tyrese Maxey and James Harden during the Philadelphia 76ers' stunning comeback win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two stars got into a shoving match in the fourth quarter as the Sixers were making their comeback.
Maxey addressed the altercation with Harden after the game with a short and sweet statement.
“I love him and he loves me,” Maxey said, per Ky Carlin on X, formerly Twitter.
After that somewhat heated exchange, Maxey was able to cool himself down and lead the Sixers to the 114-106 comeback win after going as much as 29 points down. Maxey had another brilliant game with a team-high 32 points in 42 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Harden had 16 points and five assists, but six turnovers.
Philly looked quite rocky in the first half of their home opener. They started out slow and went behind by 24 points at halftime. Philly fans were so frustrated by their team's first-half showing that they booed the halftime performer.
Article Continues BelowBut just like in the season-opening win against the Knicks, Maxey is leading by example. The Harden scuffle shows he is not backing down from anyone and is as competitive as it gets on the court, even against loved ones.
For a team that has so much star power in LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Jaylen Brown, Maxey is emerging as the true leader of this team. Sixers coach Nick Nurse praised Maxey for the step up in confidence and maturity he's shown, which is a promising sign for Philly's championship chances moving forward this season.

