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PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers needed a win in the worst way as they played host to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. On the second night of a back-to-back following their 40-point blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, the Sixers were down four starters, but pulled together for a 106-102 win over a pesky Jazz team.

Tyrese Maxey had 25 points and six assists for Philadelphia while Jabari Walker hopped off the bench and had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Quentin Grimes added 16 points and five rebounds, Adem Bona had 12 and five boards, Tyrese Martin had eight, and Dominick Barlow added seven points.

Here are the three biggest takeaways following the win:

Walker stepping up

After scoring 20 points in garbage time in Tuesday's loss to the Spurs, Walker received first quarter minutes against the Jazz and immediately went to work. He scored seven points in the opening quarter and had 15 points in the first half overall. He knocked down his first four 3-pointers and was able to make a big impact for this group. The Sixers probably don't win this game without his contributions when considering how well the Jazz did play in this game. Walker made a big difference and he did it on a day he described an unfortunate event he had to go through.

Walker explained:

When I saw that one go in, it was rattling around the rim, and I was like, ‘OK, yeah, this is my day today.’ I actually had an unfortunate event today. I just got a new car, and I was driving it for no less than 30 minutes, and I scratched it today, and talking about being in the zone and just wanting to get to the game and continue that, that was an unfortunate event for me. So, mentally, I'm walking in here like my brand new car I just got? I scratched it. So talking to somebody coming in, I told them the story. They're, like, it's gonna get better for you today. And I was like, Alright, OK, I'm in my zone right now. I'm in basketball world. So whatever happened before stays out. So, when I saw the first two go in, I was like, ‘OK, all right, this is a whole new world. I got a chance to redeem myself.’ So, I forgot about what happened earlier today.

I was backing up. I was excited. I was ready to get to the gym, and there was a pole behind me, and honestly, I haven't driven in a while. I've been Ubering everywhere, and Philly is very tight spaces, so it's a learning experience. I'll get it fixed.

Earning a much-needed win

Many will downplay this win. The Jazz are now 18-44 on the season with this loss and are now on a 7-game losing streak as they are in the midst of trying to tank and get the best pick in the upcoming June draft, but Utah plays hard on a nightly basis as coach Will Hardy has gotten them to play well every night. Combine that fact with Philadelphia also missing Joel Embiid, Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr., and VJ Edgecombe, and the fact that the Sixers entered this contest only half a game up on the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic for the No. 6 seed in the East, every win matters. Even if it is just the Utah Jazz.

"That’s a hell of a win considering all the guys out," coach Nick Nurse said after the win. "I think any win, this is what I'm talking about, we just got to figure out some way to pick them off. We don't care what they look like. Just pick off a win here and there. So, good job, I think, by a lot of guys stepping up and at least, I think, contributing in some way."

The other Tyrese makes a contribution

The Sixers received a big second half from Tyrese Martin in this one. With Utah hard-charging and taking a lead, the Sixers needed somebody to step up and knock down some shots with Tyrese Maxey resting on the bench. Martin knocked down two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and had eight points after halftime. It was good to see Martin be able to step in and knock down some big shots when considering his early struggles since signing in Philadelphia.

"Well, I mean, (expletive), I ain't make a jump shot since I've been here," Martin laughed after the win. "So, to see definitely one going, I was confident about the next one, for sure. So, they felt good, and we needed it in a timely manner and it went in. So, I was grateful for that."

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following much-needed win over Jazz

Liverpool manager Arne Slot claimed that Florian Wirtz “could be available for a few minutes” during the FA Cup tie against Wolves on Friday, while suggesting that the Germany international is key to the team’s overall “balance”.

Wirtz has been out of the squad since picking up an injury in the warm-up ahead of the win over Nottingham Forest on 22 February, and the 22-year-old has missed three games in that time, including the 2-1 loss to Wolves in the league earlier this week.

However, he could feature against Wolves in the FA Cup fifth-round tie this week, in what would be a welcome boost to Liverpool’s attacking options.

“He trained half and half with the team yesterday. He made the next step in rehab. Let's see where he is today. He could be available for a few minutes tomorrow in the best scenario,” explained Slot, before adding that “everyone else [is] fine”.

The absence of Wirtz has coincided with Liverpool struggling in attack at times, and while the Reds did beat West Ham 5-2 over that spell, there are still questions over the attacking output and chance creation, with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah coming under criticism for not offering enough from the wings.

And while Slot highlighted that “attacking isn't just down to Cody [Gakpo] and Mo [Salah],” the Dutchman did seem to admit that Wirtz is a key cog in his side’s attack.

“One of the players who creates is Florian Wirtz. He got injured three games ago. Before that the team had a certain balance and we've had to adjust again. That's happened a lot this season,” explained the Liverpool boss.

“Not all the games have improved in terms of creating chances. But we're not the only team that finds it hard to create from open play. It's the qualify of the league that makes it more complicated.

“We are not in terms of chance creation last in the league. We're not doing that bad. We're also the team with most ball possession so you'd expect us to create more.

“Cody and Mo we expect and they expect from themselves to score more. But attacking isn't just down to Cody and Mo,” he added.

Liverpool will book a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a win at Molineux, in what is the first of an important string of games that includes a Champions League last-16 tie against Galatasaray and a Premier League match against Tottenham at Anfield on 15 March.

Former Juventus winger Massimo Mauro feels that boos against Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni are ‘ridiculous’ as even if the Italian centre-back made a mistake, he ‘can’t pay for the rest of his life.’

Inter defender Bastoni remains a target of fans across Italy after an incident in February that led to a red card for Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu.

Bastoni not only deceived the referee by going down too easily to earn his opponent a red card, but also celebrated when the referee gave Kalulu his marching orders.

Bastoni ‘can’t pay for the rest of his life’ after Inter vs. Juventus

Bastoni was greeted with boos at the following away games at Lecce and Como, but ex-Juventus winger Mauro feels the reactions have been excessive, especially since the incident happened almost a month ago.

“The fact that Bastoni gets booed everywhere is a bit ridiculous. At this point, you’d have to boo 60-70% of footballers,” Mauro told Gazzetta.

“Right now, I can’t take the boos against him seriously.”

Mauro concedes that Bastoni made a mistake, but this doesn’t justify the angry reaction from fans in Italy.

“The issue got blown out of proportion because Kalulu was sent off. Then Bastoni celebrated, and you shouldn’t do that, of course, but you can’t pay for it for the rest of your life either. That’s ridiculous,” insisted Mauro.

MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 14: Pierre Kalulu of Juventus reacts as he walks off after being sent off by Referee Federico La Penna (not pictured) for a second yellow card offence during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Juventus FC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on February 14, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“I still maintain that the real mistake was not immediately admitting that a serious error had been made. I’m referring to Chivu’s words in the post-match interview. I used to admire Chivu as a coach and communicator because, from the beginning, he tried to take a different approach to what happens on the pitch. He tried to be sporting even when the refereeing decisions went against him, but in the Bastoni incident, he didn’t manage to do so. I was disappointed when I heard him say that the problem was Kalulu putting his hands on his player.”

The problem, according to Mauro, is not solely with Bastoni’s simulation against Juventus, but with the attitude of the majority of Serie A players, as the ex-winger sees more divers than in the past.

“Much more than before. In the past, it was done to try to win a penalty,” he concluded.

“Now players simulate for everything. And because any contact can look like a foul on video review. Players know this, so it almost becomes instinctive for them to try it. Of course, it’d be condemnable, but when you play, your thinking isn’t clear.”