The Philadelphia 76ers had a rough time in the desert on Saturday night when they fell to the Phoenix Suns 125-105. The Sixers looked a bit sluggish as they push their way through a tough schedule with a lot of road games as well as having to play short-handed at the moment.
The one bright spot on Saturday was Tyrese Maxey who had 37 points on 14-for-19 shooting and he made seven triples while grabbing seven rebounds. The offense has been a bit up and down for Maxey as he bounces his way from being a starter to a reserve and back again while dealing with a fractured foot earlier in the season, but performances like this one are needed.
“I just got out of my own head and way,” Maxey told reporters. “Joel (Embiid), James (Harden), and Doc (Rivers) were telling me to be aggressive and be myself. I am 100% healthy now. My foot is not bothering me at all. I need to go out there and be aggressive and help my teammates as much as I can.”
Maxey’s performance was the only reason why the Sixers had a chance. Embiid looked a bit sluggish as he has been asked to do a lot out on the floor and he wasn’t able to be his superhuman self on Saturday. Philadelphia wasn’t able to pull out a win against the Suns, but the play of Maxey was the one bright spot.
“I thought he made open shots, played with a little bit of pace,” added coach Doc Rivers. “We had no pace in the game, probably because they scored every time or rebounded every time. Tyrese has just been consistent. Plays with a smile, wants to do right, no complaints.”
The Sixers will finish up this current road trip when they take on the Denver Nuggets on Monday in the Mile High City.
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