The star duo of the Philadelphia 76ers did not shoot the ball well in Saturday’s Game 1 win over the Toronto Raptors. Joel Embiid shot just 5-for-15 and Harden was 6-for-17, but they were able to win by 20 thanks to the play of Tyrese Maxey.
The second-year guard out of Kentucky had 38 points on 14-for-21 shooting and he knocked down five triples in the win. There was nothing the Raptors could do to stop Maxey as he was just in a different zone for Philadelphia.
He outplayed Toronto All-Star Fred VanVleet in a huge way and the Raptors star gave his respect to Maxey.
“Obviously, we loaded up a ton on Joel and loaded up a ton on James, and he was able to find success in the cracks and the creases,” VanVleet told reporters. “Just have to guard him better and give him a little bit more attention. He’s a heck of a player. He had an amazing, almost damn-near-perfect game tonight. Give him credit. Obviously, we’ll show him a lot more attention going forward. But it’s one game.”
It will be tough for Toronto to defend Maxey in Game 2 if they are down prized rookie Scottie Barnes, which is a possibility, but VanVleet and the Raptors will certainly make adjustments and throw different coverages at him. That is where the chess match will begin.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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