3 observations after Maxey (45 points) hammers through slump, lifts Sixers to OT win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Number 0 of the Sixers saved the day and ensured that his team was not stuck on zero victories.
Tyrese Maxey lifted the Sixers to a 118-114 overtime road victory Sunday over the Pacers, exploding for 45 points after starting 2 for 11 from the floor. Entering the game, he was shooting just 29.6 percent from the field and 19 percent from three-point range.
Caleb Martin had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who improved to 1-2 and will play the Pistons at home on Wednesday night. Andre Drummond recorded nine points and 17 rebounds.
The Sixers were still down Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and Paul George (left knee bone bruise)which meant Maxey had to break through his early-season slump in heroic fashion.
Here are observations from the Sixers’ wild overtime win on Sunday:
Much needed noise upgrad
The first few minutes of the Sixers did not suggest that they turned on a switch.
On the team’s first possession, Myles Turner ripped the ball away from Andre Drummond in the post. Tyrese Haliburton’s second drive gave Indiana a 6-0 lead.
The Sixers had minimal offensive diversity in the opening stages and didn’t put much pressure on the Pacers’ defense with drives into the paint. Maxey, Martin, Kyle Lowry and Kelly Oubre Jr. all missed their first attempt of the day from three-point range.
Later, Oubre and Martin began to cut aggressively and score inside. Martin generally looked comfortable early this season starting the Sixers’ offense in certain actions with Maxey off the ball. Eric Gordon added seven points off the bench Sunday in his first shift, as well.
Compared to Friday night loss to the Raptorsthe Sixers were strong in the hustle department. Guerschon Yabusele chased down a Gordon single and dished to Maxey in the corner for a three that gave the Sixers a 23-16 edge.
Lowry drained a three with about 25 seconds left in the second quarter after Yabusele won an extra possession by diving on the floor. KJ Martin beat Indiana to two offensive rebounds late in the first quarter and 6-foot-3 freshman Jared McCain snuck in for a putback layup early in the second.
In total, the Sixers grabbed 20 offensive boards to the Pacers’ seven.
Maxey hammers through a slump
The Sixers played zone defense with Yabusele in center and their big men avoided the severe foul trouble that followed them in the team’s losses to Milwaukee and Toronto.
The Pacers’ offense continued to hum in a 35-point second quarter. Maxey’s poor decision-making and uncharacteristic gifts helped Indiana build a lead as large as nine points late in the second.
In the first half, the 23-year-old point guard often looked like a player who started the season slowly and wasn’t sure what would work. Andrew Nembhard defended Maxey tight on the ball and Turner limited his clean looks on a pull-up three off the pick-and-roll.
Maxey committed four first-half turnovers, doubling his total from the Sixers’ opening two games. At one point, he looked down Pascal Siakam at the top of the key, went left and coughed the ball up to TJ McConnell. Later, he threw a one-handed pass in the vicinity of McCain on the wing and it landed out of bounds.
Some of Maxey’s problems were simply narrow misses on shots he was right to take, including two open jumpers on the Sixers’ first play of the third quarter. He seemed to grow increasingly focused on breaking his slump, taking seven field goals in the first six minutes and a change of the third quarter. No one entered.
However, Maxey made four threes early in the third period, didn’t rely solely on his jumper and recognized that the Sixers needed him to continue attacking. He finally got a driving left-handed layup to fall, tying the game at 68-all and pumping his fist after Indiana called a timeout.
That moment seemed to snap Maxey back into shape. He converted a tough layup, nailed a pull-up three to extend the Sixers’ lead, and let off some serious steam with a full-throated, chest-pounding celebration.
Sixers are coming out of the late game chaos
Indiana immediately erased the Sixers’ advantage with a 9-0 run directly after the Sixers’ Maxey-fueled spurt.
McCain showed his youth against the always annoying McConnell. The former Sixer absorbed a charge on McCain and then slipped past him for a driving layup.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse understandably didn’t feel like he could let Maxey rest for long. He came back and scored a tough left floater over Isaiah Jackson on the Sixers’ last play of the third quarter. Maxey, who entered the afternoon averaging 40 minutes per game, logged 48 against the Pacers.
With McConnell and Nembhard often chasing him in the backcourt, Maxey continued to make crucial shots. He hit a baseline jumper, a step-back three and a catch-and-shoot triple off yet another Yabusele offensive board.
The end of regulation was full of drama and office reviews. Nurse had a costly failed challenge of an out of bounds call when, after review, the officials deemed Caleb Martin foul under the NBA’s new close foul rule.
Shortly after that play, Nurse picked up a technical foul. Turner air-balled a jumper, which the officials stopped play to review before putting six seconds on the shot clock. A nurse was furious with how the sequence was handled. Haliburton missed the ensuing technical free throw.
The Sixers got several key stops in a row and finally went ahead on a fast-break layup by Caleb Martin. Drummond then made a clutch defensive play to strip Haliburton of the ball and two Maxey free throws extended the Sixers’ lead to 105-102.
Haliburton brought the ball up and the Sixers unintentionally fouled him on the floor. The two-time All-Star guard pump faked on Oubre and somehow sank a leaning, off-balance three. Maxey’s full-court heave at the fourth-quarter buzzer was brief.
Thanks in large part to Maxey, the Sixers shook off the disappointment of failing to secure the win in regulation. Maxey opened the scoring in overtime with a stepback three. He also had two massive left layups, including one where he quickly circled around an attempted Pacers blitz.
Again, the Sixers’ endgame execution was by no means textbook.
They chose to foul off three points this time, but their lead was down to two after Aaron Nesmith made both his free throws and Maxey split a pair. Caleb Martin then made a big mistake, taking a foul on Haliburton with five seconds left.
Fortunately for the Sixers, Haliburton missed his first free throw. He intentionally missed his second, the Sixers grabbed the defensive rebound, and Maxey duly iced the game for good at the foul line.
