Tyrese Maxey, Human Tesla: 5 Things We Saw at Sixers vs. Cavaliers

Tyrese Maxey is already in regular-season form. And he looks to be headed to his first All-Star Game if training camp and preseason is any indication of things to come. He also helped the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-112.

The third-year guard is unequivocally the third star on the Sixers. Heck, he might be a better scoring option than James Harden. Maxey scored 21 points in 15 minutes while shooting 9-of-11 from the field. He went 3-of-3 from deep and tallied two assists.

Looking beyond the box score, it was more of what spoiled Sixers fans have come to expect from the human Tesla. He consistently pushed the pace and made life miserable for defenders, including one play where he beat Donovan Mitchell off the dribble. His defense is still a work in progress (credit Darius Garland – an incredible player in his own right – for sticking with Maxey and challenging him).

Another major positive: Maxey’s long-range jumper is starting to become automatic, along with a newfound aggressiveness. He no longer waits to attack. Which was even more impressive since Wednesday night marked the first time the Sixers trotted out their normal starting five.

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Sixers 113, Cavaliers 112: 5 Things We Saw

Keep Playing Hard, Paul: He earned a jump-ball by scrapping and hitting the deck with 5:41 left in the fourth quarter. That was emblematic of his hustle all night. He appears to be winning the battle for the backup center spot through two preseason games. Interesting note: the Sixers threw Reed out there alongside Montrezl Harrell in a big lineup. They were feeding off each other offensively late in the game and clogged the lane up on defense.

Keep Heating Up, Shake: Milton’s minutes are going to take a big-time hit with James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and De’Anthony Melton on the roster. That was expected. But the slinking point guard keeps proving he deserves a spot in the rotation. He can heat up in a hurry and score in bunches as evidenced by his 12 points (6-of-13 shooting in 27 minutes) against Cleveland.

Keep Shooting, Tobias: The Sixers starters were playing together for the first time in a game setting on Wednesday. Baby steps. Even so, it was a tad surprising to see Harris attempt just 2 three-pointers (although he finished 4-of-5 for 9 points overall). He has been logging extra hours after practice and spoke of working on a quicker release from deep this summer. He looked improved in camp, but it hasn’t translated over into the first two preseason games. The Sixers need Harris to shoot the deep ball. That being said, he was excellent defensively.

Keep Yelling Timber, Joel: Joel Embiid scored 12 points and grabbed six boards in 18 minutes. He shook off a little rust early but settled in and regained his MVP form. It’s hard to see the team throwing him out there much more this preseason. Embiid took about a dozen hard tumbles, crashing down hard to the ground like a falling tree while seeing at least one elbow to the face. Can’t risk the big man’s health.

Keep Bringing Energy, De’Anthony: Newcomer De’Anthony Melton was awarded the famed Big Energy Chain after his first game at the Wells Fargo Center as a member of the Sixers. He finished with 11 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds in 15 minutes. More importantly, Melton was everything he was billed to be on the defensive end. He used his surprising length to swat passes in the lane, while picking up one blocked shot and one steal. Big-time addition.

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