TORONTO — The Philadelphia 76ers needed a big performance on the road on Saturday night to get in the win column following a season-opening loss in Milwaukee. A visit to the Toronto Raptors proved challenging.
After the Raptors jumped on them early and led by as many as 12, the Sixers needed somebody to step up. Joel Embiid was imposing his will in the paint, but he needed help.
The help came from Tyrese Maxey. After not taking a shot in the first quarter, he ended up scoring 34 points on 12-for-20 shooting. He drilled seven triples on nine attempts. He also had seven assists, six rebounds and one turnover in a 114-107 win over the Raptors.
“He was impressive,” Embiid said of Maxey. “That’s what we’ve been talking about. Especially, with our two-man game. I’ve been trying to help him, and he’s doing his thing. You can’t get too high, you can’t get too low. Sometimes, you make shots, sometimes you don’t, but it’s all about making the right plays and I think he’s doing that. Tonight, he should’ve had zero turnovers again. He had one, but who cares about turning the ball over when you’re being aggressive?”
The Sixers have needed this type of performance from Maxey. Philadelphia is without James Harden, so it needed somebody to provide scoring and playmaking. That is where the young guard from Kentucky is stepping up.
“I’ll state the obvious, right? He’s really playing well,” said coach Nick Nurse. “He’s doing what he can do. He’s shooting the ball well from deep and creating space. He’s creating some contact and finishing at the rim. Obviously, he’s getting his chances to get his assists, but he’s also taking care of the ball.”
As a team, the Sixers had just nine turnovers. Led by Maxey taking care of the ball, Philadelphia was able to have a lot of success on the road and pick up a win in Toronto.
“Low turnover game for us which is good,” Nurse added. “It’s not easy against that team. Trust me, that’s a team that can get you to turn the ball over quick. He did a good job. He did a good job, I thought, of organizing a little bit better tonight, I gotta watch the tape, but he was great. He played awesome.”
In terms of his perspective, Maxey gave the credit to Embiid for making the right decisions when the Raptors sent waves of defenders toward him.
“They were pulling in on Joel sometimes,” Maxey explained. “He kicked it out. He’s been very, very, very receptive of what we’re trying to do and unselfish and that’s big. That’s the MVP out there going out there and trying to make sure his teammates are involved, make sure we feel involved, make sure that the game comes easy to us as well. So shoutout to Jo.”
[lawrence-related id=85499,85496,85492]