Tyrese Maxey punctuated a question about the 76ers finally making shots with a chuckle.

“I’m not going to lie, it felt good to win,” the Sixers’ All-Star point guard said Friday after the Sixers topped the Brooklyn Nets 113-98. “I’m not going to sit here and talk about taking pictures. We played so hard, offensively and defensively, (and) played together. Boys stayed together.”

One win over the underachieving Nets doesn’t change the fact that the Sixers lost twelve of their first fourteen games and didn’t get a regular win until the 2024-25 season was almost a month old.

» READ MORE: Sixers takeaways: Jared McCain hot streak, Ben Simmons boos and more

But Friday brought welcome relief during a week marked by a lengthy postgame meeting in Miami, after which Joel Embiid piped up about the details of that meeting leaked to the media, and then Embiid’s absence of injuries (again) and newcomer Paul George. Embiid’s situation remains risky as swelling in his left knee caused him to miss Friday’s game and will sideline him at least through Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Still, the Sixers’ locker room speaker blasted hip-hop music after Friday’s brief victory, thanks in large part to 56 points from the budding guard duo of Maxey and still-scorching rookie Jared McCain, along with a defense that turned 19 Nets turnovers into 28 points. . Maxey then reiterated a message he shared earlier this week, noting that it was part of that meeting in Miami.

“It’s been a consistent theme over the last 14 games: teams go on a run, we lay down and we just let them keep going,” Maxey said. “Today they went running. (We) called a timeout and we did what we had to do: we hit them back. I knocked them right back, and now we’re back in the game.”

Here are some more behind-the-scenes tidbits from another interesting week during the Sixers’ awkward start.

Drummond wants to replace pressure with joy

Andre Drummond sat on the floor of Miami’s Kaseya Center court after warmups Monday and bounced a ball with his young daughter, Aubrey.

That was an instant mood boost, the veterans center said. And he hopes to channel more of that joy into his play, acknowledging that he “put too much pressure on myself” during a tough individual start while Embiid has been sidelined for 11 of the Sixers’ first 15 games.

“It’s something I have to deal with better,” Drummond told The Inquirer on Wednesday from Shootarond in Memphis. “Just get out of my head and play more freely. … (I’ve) tried to do everything perfectly, instead of just playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.

» READ MORE: Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey’s big nights end Sixers losing streak at five with win over Nets

Drummond faced the same criticism from coach Nick Nurse, which he first leveled in front of the team and then publicly repeated during his press conference before Monday’s game in Miami. Drummond entered Friday averaging 8.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in 13 games, but his shooting numbers have slipped and the eye test indicates he hasn’t shown the same inner strength on either end of the court.

“I’m trying to get him to relax a little bit and have fun playing,” Nurse said of Drummond. “It seems a bit like it’s too much hard work for him at the moment, instead of enjoying it. He’s the best guy ever. I’m trying to get him to take some of that same character and attitude into the game and enjoy it a little bit.

Still, Drummond’s role has continued to fluctuate in recent games. With Embiid ruled out against the Nets on Friday, Nurse opted to start Guerschon Yabusele at center. Drummond, however, finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 16 reserve minutes, including a thunderous alley-oop finish from McCain and multiple chances to finish as he raced down the court.

Bona’s to-and-fro journey

Even before that long postgame meeting, Monday was bizarre for the Sixers because of the ever-changing health status for Embiid. He entered that day as questionable to play against the Heat due to an illness, then questionable after missing the shoota round and then available to play after a pre-game warm-up.

That all came after Embiid was a full participant in Sunday’s practice, which would be a positive sign for his ongoing post-surgery knee condition. So after that team session, the Sixers put rookie center Adem Bona on a plane to Atlanta to join the Delaware Blue Coats of the G League for their game against the College Park Skyhawks.

Bona arrived late Sunday due to a flight delay and underwent a walkthrough with the Blue Coats the next morning. Then the Sixers informed Bona that he needed to immediately fly back to Miami to be their big man against the Heat, in case Embiid couldn’t play.

Bona was on the Kaseya Center floor at 5:15 p.m., as the first Sixer to go through pre-game warmups. While practicing hook shots and down-the-lane dunks, player development coach Fabulous Flournoy reminded Bona that if he were to compete that night, he might be compared to All-Star and Olympian Bam Adebayo. When Bona returned to the locker room, a last-minute film session awaited Bona.

“I just asked the guys (Blue Coats), ‘Have you guys been through this before?’” Bona said of the chaotic back-and-forth. “And they said, ‘Yes, this is normal.’ … I flew all the way there just to practice.”

Such is life for the 2024 second-round draft pick, who is expected to alternate between the Sixers and the G League this season. Those plane trips came after Bona played in a Blue Coats game the previous Monday in Wilmington and then drove back to Philly to get his first major NBA minutes Wednesday against a Cleveland Cavaliers team backed by offensive stars Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

“This is what I signed up for,” Bona told his brother earlier this week, “so I can’t complain.”

Within the group

As the Sixers huddled in Orlando for last Friday’s tipoff, Ricky Council IV and Reggie Jackson were at the center of the group. They were a second-year player and veteran whose minutes have been sporadic so far this season, but are still trying to bring some positive energy to their teammates.

“That’s what we get paid to do,” Council told The Inquirer. “We are not paid to score. We don’t get paid to play every night. They want us on the team. If they didn’t want us, we wouldn’t be here. So we’re going to do everything we can to influence the game, as long as it brings cheer, brings positive energy, things like that.”

» READ MORE: The Sixers have one chance to save this terrible season. Another franchise already showed them how.

The opportunity for both players came later in the week, when a hip injury to Kyle Lowry left a void at point guard and Nurse looked for players who could provide a spark in Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Council responded with two rocking dunks, prompting Maxey to shout, “Come on, Ricky!” from the couch. Then Jackson had nine points on 3-for-7 shooting from three-point range and two assists in Friday’s win over the Nets.

Student becomes teacher

Maxey’s leadership has been a hot topic since training camp and is evident in his blossoming relationship with McCain.

While still sidelined with a hamstring injury in last Friday’s loss in Orlando, Maxey McCain headed to the sideline for early tips on how to deal with the physicality of being guarded by rugged defenseman Jalen Suggs. In Memphis, Maxey offered tips on how hitting Embiid with pocket passes would open up more scoring space for McCain.

It also became apparent when they sat together at Friday’s press conference, and McCain was asked if television cameras caught him shouting, “I’m the Rookie of the Year!” after a big bucket during his 30-point outburst.

McCain initially tried to coyly deny those words, saying, “I don’t know what came into my head at that moment, but I think that’s what I said.”

“Guess?!” Maxey replied.

“Yes, I said that. I did. It was pretty clear,” McCain acknowledged.

“Here we go,” Maxey assured his teammate.