NEW YORK — When one looks at the box score from Game 1 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks, one will see Tyrese Maxey had 33 points. The All-Star guard had a very solid performance on the road to help the Sixers stay in it after being down as many as 14.
However, it was something of a slow start for Maxey. He had 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting and 2-for-7 from deep at the half. He had 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting in the second half. That is the version of Maxey the Sixers will need in Game 2.
“I don’t need to see anything earlier from him other than he’s got to play harder,” coach Nick Nurse said on Sunday. “He needs to get involved and play more physical and get involved in rebounding and get involved in the physical nature of the game.”
To the point Nurse is making, if the Sixers get an aggressive Maxey early in Game 2, then maybe things will swing in Philadelphia’s favor. His third quarter was fantastic and he has to bring that same energy to the floor on Monday.
“I had some really good looks in the first half, some shots that rimmed out,” Maxey said. “I got one blocked. I just kept staying aggressive, got downhill, was able to make some plays for others. I got to the basket, got to the free-throw line for some points. It was good. I feel like I was confident getting downhill and going to the rim.”
Nurse and the Sixers will need that version of Maxey as they prepare to even the series in Game 2 before things shift to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4.
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