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Tyrese Maxey’s athleticism jumps off the tape. The second-year guard flies around like a professional breakdancer, one with a rocket-infused jet pack strapped to his back. Maxey finished with 10 points and seven assists during the Sixers’ 113-103 win over Portland.
He was aggressive on both ends of the floor, specifically on defense where he mirrored Damian Lillard. The Blazers star scored 20 points, but only got eight of them with Maxey guarding him. Lillard’s teammate, CJ McCollum, walked away impressed from what he saw out of the youngster.
“He’s very fast, he’s explosive,” McCollum said. “I think he’s still figuring out how to run a team, but I like what I have seen and have been a fan of his game since Kentucky. He’s a smart player and I have heard a lot of good things about him and he’s got a very bright future.”
After the game, Maxey was spotted in the weight room adjacent to the Sixers’ locker room. The 200-pounder was getting a lift in minutes after running up and down the court for 30 minutes. No one can knock the kid’s commitment to getting “one-percent better” every single day. He gives himself 12 hours to “grieve” following a win or a loss.
“You get 12 hours to grieve the game and then you let it go,” Maxey said. “You need to have the memory of a goldfish, a goldfish has short term memory, so we’ll go with that.”
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Sixers Missing $105 Million vs. Portland
Doc Rivers’ squad gutted out a gritty victory at the Wells Fargo Center without Joel Embiid (load management) and Tobias Harris (health and safety). Embiid’s absence was noted in advance, but Harris was a last-minute scratch – 40 minutes prior to tip-off, according to Rivers. The head coach joked to team co-owner Michael Rubin that $105 million was sidelined.
“I was joking with Michael Rubin, I said ‘you only had $105 million not in the game tonight.’ So, it was just a good team effort,” Rivers said. “The guys, we went with some crazy lineups. A lot of small ball. [Andre Drummond] was fantastic in his role. It was one of those games where I thought every single guy did something to help us win the game.”
Embiid’s injured knee wasn’t the reason he sat out, per Rivers. Harris’ status remains up in the air as he looks to clear COVID-19 restrictions. The Sixers star – yes, he is vaccinated – came in close contact with someone who tested positive (via The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey). Furkan Korkmaz started in his place.
“I have yet to talk to Tobias,” Rivers said. “I’m gonna do that right after this and figure out what’s going on.”
Drummond Got ‘Okie Doke’ About Embiid
Andre Drummond drew the start after Embiid opted for a rest day. It’s the role he signed up for when the Sixers handed him a one-year contract to be the backup center. He understood it. He accepted it. However, it was the way he found out about his one-game promotion. Embiid was present at the morning shootaround.
“He hit me with the Okie Doke today,” Drummond said. “Usually he will take a couple plays off in shootaround just to rest. So I didn’t really know what was going on until I got here and then I see the alert on Twitter and I said, ‘Oh [shoot] I’m starting today.’ So that’s how I found out, but great, great team win from us.”
No big deal for the polished veteran big man. Drummond had 14 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, five steals – numbers that put him in the same company as Charles Barkley.
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