Kyle Lowry has hilarious admission about Tyrese Maxey's missed opportunity in return game

The Philadelphia 76ers toppled the Miami Heat on Thursday night, 109-105. It was an essential victory for the Sixers, who move within half a game of Miami for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. While most Sixers fans would welcome a first-round matchup with Doc Rivers' Bucks in the 2-7 matchup, it's wise for Philadelphia to avoid a volatile Play-In scenario if possible.

While Joel Embiid looked solid in his second game back from meniscus surgery, it was Tyrese Maxey — in his first game back from hip soreness — who led the charge. He finished with 37 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists on 15-of-26 shooting in 41 minutes.

Maxey came up one rebound shy of the elusive triple-double. While "stat-padding" is generally frowned upon, every NBA player with nine rebounds will try extra hard for the 10th. Maxey couldn't get the job done, however, and his veteran mentor let him hear about it after the game.

Speaking with reporters in the locker room, Kyle Lowry (jokingly) lambasted Maxey's inability to secure that fateful 10th board.

"Ah, he’s a stupid guy. I’d a chased down that rebound."

Kyle Lowry jabs Tyrese Maxey for not securing triple-double in 76ers win over Heat

Lowry's veteran presence has been a welcome addition to the Sixers' locker room, not to mention their rotation. He's currently operating as Maxey's starting backcourt mate, supplying Philadelphia with tons of connective passing and defensive dirty work. Even at 38 years old, Lowry is too smart to fail on the court. His front-to-back knowledge of Nick Nurse's playbook certainly doesn't hurt.

Maxey will probably hear about his missed triple-double for a while, but it's hard to overstate how important his performance was. The Sixers needed this win to potentially avoid the Play-In Tournament. Now 2-0 since Embiid's return, Philadelphia is looking pleasantly cohesive despite the new-look group's relative lack of experience playing together. Tobias Harris was notably absent with an injury, which moved Nic Batum into the starting five. That won't hold once Harris is back... but it should.

Anyhow, the Sixers' vibes are dangerously strong right now. We know Philadelphia's capacity for disappointment of the most acute variety. It's hard to express confidence in the team's postseason outlook, even with two bonafide stars, a deep wing rotation, and the massive sideline upgrade provided by Nick Nurse compared to Doc Rivers. That said, on paper, the Sixers are one heck of a threat to the East's top seeds, especially Milwaukee and Cleveland in the No. 2 and 3 spots.

Just watch this clip and tell me the Sixers aren't going places.

There are still important basketball games on the docket. Philadelphia can't let its foot off the gas pedal, especially with Embiid bound to miss a game this weekend for injury management purposes. That said, the positive momentum around the Sixers is palpable.