The Philadelphia 76ers looked like they had a layup of a victory over the Indiana Pacers before Wednesday’s game, but a loaded injury report meant nothing for Rick Carlisle’s squad.
The Pacers did a good job staying in it and testing the limits of the new-look Sixers, but Tyrese Maxey ultimately put them away once and for all.
Maxey continues to lead the Sixers through their 4-1 start. He helped them secure win No. 4 with a fourth-quarter takeover, inspired by the team’s stars Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James.
76ers’ Tyrese Maxey Admits Pressure From LeBron James Fueled Takeover vs Pacers
Following the 76ers’ 114-109 win over the Pacers, Maxey revealed what helped him have a dominant closeout.
“JB and Process and Bron kind of got on me about not being aggressive the first three quarters,” he said postgame. “When JB checked back in the game in the 4th quarter, he said you owe us. Take us home. I just gotta do what my vets tell me to do.”
Maxey was having a quiet night. Through his first 24 minutes, the veteran guard had just 10 points off 10 shots. He was fourth in scoring for the 76ers.
Amid a 39-21 fourth quarter, Maxey led the way with 17 points. He finished the game as the 76ers’ scoring leader once again. The veteran had 27 points, five rebounds, four assists, and steal.
Tyrese Maxey’s Season So Far
There might have been questions about how Maxey would look with this version of the 76ers.
Surrounded by plenty of star power, Maxey has been better than last year in the scoring department. He’s not shooting as efficiently just yet, but he’s scoring at a career-high clip. Maxey is putting up 28.4 points per game, while shooting 32.4% from deep.
Along with his scoring, Maxey is coming down with 4.2 rebounds per game and dishing out 4.6 assists per game. Through the first week of action, Maxey was the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. He finished the first game of the second week strong, thanks to a push from Brown, James, and Embiid.
