Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers are past the Play-in Tournament phase, as they thrillingly trounced the Miami Heat at home Wednesday night to the tune of a 105-104 score.
With that win, the 76ers earned a ticket to the 2024 NBA Playoffs proper and scored a Best of 7 series date with the powerful New York Knicks squad, who own the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Maxey knows the tough tasks ahead of the 76ers, as the Knicks are a solid bunch with a clear alpha in the form of Jalen Brunson.
“Honestly it starts w/ the head of the snake…Jalen Brunson…been remarkable. Gotta slow him down 1st…Then…behind him really good shooting, OG, Donte…the big fellas…Gotta go out there & be extremely aggressive man. It’s gonna be a dogfight, we know that,” Maxey said after the win against the Heat.
Tyrese Maxey Believes the Philadelphia 76ers Have What it Takes to Slow Down Jalen Brunson
Bottling up Jalen Brunson is going to be easier said than done, but Maxey said that he thinks the Sixers are going to be just fine because of the defensive weapons they have on the roster.
“We’ve got people that we can throw at [Jalen Brunson]… they’re physical, they’re tough & that’s their identity… we have to match that, be better than that and be extremely physical as well,” Maxey said, per Adam Aaronson of the PhillyVoice.
One of the weapons Maxey referenced about is likely veteran forward Nic Batum , who showed in the Miami game that he can still contribute a lot — on both ends of the floor. Apart from scoring crucial buckets and finishing with 20 points off the bench against the Heat, Batum also had a game-saving block on Heat shooter Tyler Herro. Batum defended multiple positions as well in that contest. Given his versatility, length, and experience, Batum could potentially be a Jalen Brunson stopper for the Sixers.
For what it’s worth, Brunson averaged 22.3 points but on just 40.3 percent shooting from the field in four games in the regular season against the 76ers.
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