3 observations after Maxey scores career-high 50, Sixers win for eighth straight originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
For the Sixers, the show had to go on.
However, the unusual circumstances surrounding the team’s Sunday night meeting with the Pacers certainly deserve a mention before diving into a very memorable game. Kelly Oubre Jr. was home because he had been hit by a car the night before and suffered a broken rib.
The Sixers will reevaluate Oubre in about a week after what head coach Nick Nurse called a “pretty traumatic incident.”
Without Oubre, the Sixers earned a 137-126 victory, extending their winning streak to eight games. They improved to 6-0 at the Wells Fargo Center and 8-1 overall.
A bigger deal than that: Tyrese Maxey set a new career high with 50 points on 20-for-32 shooting. He also had seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a truly special performance.
Maxey’s previous career high was a 44-point effort last October against the Raptors. Nurse lost that game in Toronto.
“It’s a lot more fun to be on this side,” Nurse said.
Joel Embiid scored 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton had 25 points and 17 assists.
The Sixers host the Pacers again on Tuesday night. Here are observations from their Maxey-led victory on Sunday:
Early pick-and-roll perfection
The Sixers’ first few minutes went much the same as they did at the start of the third quarter in their Monday night win over the Wizards.
That meant left wing Maxey-Embiid running pick-and-rolls over and over again — five consecutive half-court possessions, to be exact. The Sixers scored on every point and decisively won the 2-on-2 game between their best players and Indiana players Bruce Brown and Myles Turner. Maxey missed a floater in the fifth, but Embiid tied it with a put-back layup.
Embiid obviously wanted to attack the match against Turner, as he often makes a big impact. He scored a very efficient 19 points in the first quarter on Sunday, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and 7-for-8 at the foul line.
Embiid and the Sixers were far better from the jump than they were Friday night in Detroit. After trailing by 12 points for one quarter in this game, the Sixers led the Pacers by 11 points after the first quarter.
Maxey catches fire, McConnell does his thing
Nicolas Batum started in Oubre’s place.
While Batum won’t replace all of Oubre’s goalscoring abilities, he appears fully capable of filling that role, both in terms of his unwavering veteran attitude and his versatile game.
Batum received the challenging defensive assignment from Haliburton, Indiana’s All-Star lead guard. The Sixers also rotated frequently, something they were generally comfortable doing under Nurse. Batum helped set the right tone for the Sixers’ transition defense against the fast-paced Pacers by sprinting back to block a Bennedict Mathurin layup. He later caught a steal when he deftly pushed the ball away as Indiana’s big backup, Jalen Smith, began serving.
Furkan Korkmaz and Danuel House Jr. each joined the Sixers’ new 10-man rotation. Nurse was pleased with how the team’s wings played without Oubre.
“Nic is definitely a really good player, right? “Really good in so many areas,” Nurse said. “Since he’s starting (Robert) Covington in his first stint, he’ll probably be there for a while. Solid work. I thought Furk and House did a good job. I think the combination of House (Patrick Beverley) and Paul Reed really added some grit to the game.
“They chased down a lot of loose balls and made a lot of plays. It was nice to see that. Those are the roles of these guys, we would say. Just go out there, play really hard, get to every 50-50 ball, get some putbacks and defend really hard. They did a great job together, this trio.”
Ultimately, the team’s Embiid-free minutes in the first half were all about Maxey.
The 23-year-old put in an outstanding performance at the start of the second quarter, combining quick attacks with deep jumps and confident, sharp decisions on every down. After Maxey made back-to-back three-pointers and hit a fast-break layup, the Sixers had a 55-36 lead. At this point, Maxey and Embiid alone were outscoring the Pacers.
However, Indiana soon turned the tide, and TJ McConnell played a crucial role.
McConnell provided his constant energy and applied more ball pressure to Maxey, who eventually began to miss. He also drove past former Sixers teammate Covington for a layup, picked off Embiid for a loose ball and grabbed a backcourt steal. McConnell’s short jump shot on the Pacers’ final possession of the second quarter cut Indiana’s deficit to 69-60.
Total offensive rebounding dominance
The Pacers’ offense sped up even further early in the third quarter. They scored 39 points in that period and were only one point behind by the fourth round.
After Embiid committed a loose turnover and passed a pass to Maxey, Haliburton scored a three-pointer. Haliburton skillfully orchestrated Indiana’s half-court offense, creating favorable transitions, getting help on defense and initiating crisp drive-and-kick sequences. Even in transition, the Pacers always looked dangerous.
“Worrying about it didn’t help,” the nurse said, laughing. “Again, it’s the way they play, you know it’s coming and it’s unique. Many teams play fast, but this team plays incredibly fast. It’s on top of the floor and whoever has it makes a super-quick decision to either shoot it or chip you off the rebound or pass it to the next guy.
“They seem to find every glitch. … It’s a crazy pace and they have the skill to do it. Anyone can shoot, anyone can do it on rebounds. So we’ll try to control the pace a little better next time.”
The Sixers, along with Maxey, missed nine of their first 10 three-pointers. Luckily, some of the Sixers’ role players began sinking jumpers to stop the Pacers’ push. Batum and De’Anthony Melton hit key three-pointers in the third quarter.
Those shots didn’t deter the Pacers, who ended the third period with an 8-0 run and eventually took their first lead early in the fourth period.
The Sixers leaned on Maxey and Tobias Harris (18 points, nine rebounds) at the start of the fourth period. It was great that they regularly got more than one scoring opportunity per possession. Harris had two put-back lay-ins in the fourth and the Sixers finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds, the most in a single game since April 3, 2019.
Rushing bench players like Reed and Beverley have consistently supported the offensive rebounding efforts. Maxey did the same on Sunday night, reaching his new career high and extending the Sixers’ lead to 124-114 by grabbing a Beverley airball and putting it infield.
The Stars owned the night – no one should hesitate to describe Maxey that way – but the Sixers’ battle for the offensive boards and dominance in that area saved them.
And with victory all but assured, Maxey capped his night with a three-pointer and, of course, a triple to reach the 50-point mark.
“I think Joel wanted me to get 50 more than I thought I would,” Maxey said. “He went to grab the ball and said, ‘You’re going to shoot this basketball.’
“I just appreciate my teammates, man. I appreciate my teammates, appreciate the fans, appreciate the coaching staff. It was a great night. We got the win, that’s the most important thing.”