The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday looking to bounce back from a loss to the Phoenix Suns that began the four-game trip.
Tyrese Maxey, in particular, had an especially tough night. The All-Star guard had six points on 3-for-13 shooting and was 0-for-4 from deep. It was a performance that doesn’t often happen to a guy like him considering the season he’s having and the work he puts in.
Maxey knows he has to bounce back against the Lakers, but he trusts the work he puts in.
“Go back and compete,” Maxey told reporters after the loss in Phoenix. “We dropped one, but that is OK. We will get back into it again. Probably practice and do what we have to do. Get some shots up and be ready for these two games in LA.”
One of Maxey’s worst games of the season came on Christmas Day in a loss to the Miami Heat. He had 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting, but bounced back by scoring 23 points in a win over the Orlando Magic just a few days later.
He will look to do the same against the Lakers. Coach Nick Nurse understands it was a tough night for him, but he has all the confidence in the world in his star guard.
“He just didn’t seem to get any space, any rhythm, anything,” Nurse said of Maxey’s night in Phoenix. “Even when he did, he got to a point where he was having a really off night. I just decided to kind of let most of those guys go and let the other guys play it out because I didn’t think it was going to make a difference in the game. So, he hasn’t had any games like that this year, so we’ll just get him to bounce back and have him play better in the next one.”
The Sixers and the Lakers will tip off at 10:30 p.m. EDT from Crypto.com Arena.
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