MIAMI — It’s rare when Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey has a tough night. The rising star entered the Christmas Day matchup with the Miami Heat shooting 46.8% from the floor and 40% from deep. He is one of the top players at his position in the league.
In the Christmas loss to the Heat, Maxey had a nightmarish night. He shot 4-for-20, started the night 0-for-9 and missed three free throws. He had plenty of good looks all night but couldn’t convert. On a night the Sixers were without Joel Embiid, that effort is going to result in a loss.
Tobias Harris, who had 27 points to lead Philadelphia, is the calming voice for this group. Whenever he needs to speak up, he will. He had a message for his young teammate after his struggles.
“Just to keep shooting,” Harris said of Maxey. “He’s a great player, great shooter, and in a game like tonight (Monday), without big fella playing, we need him to be high volume. We trust him for that as well. The whole team does.”
The Sixers have the ultimate trust in Maxey. They know what he brings to the table. They want him to know they are going to rock with him no matter what is going on.
“As a group, we don’t worry about the misses,” Harris added. “He’s been good this whole year. He’s gonna have a few games like that from time to time, but that’s not gonna be normal for him. He’ll be fine. Just encourage him to keep shooting and let him know we have the utmost confidence in him to help us in any of our stretches.”
The Sixers will look to Maxey to bounce back on Wednesday when they take on the Orlando Magic to continue their four-game road trip.
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