Tyrese Maxey (23 points, nine rebounds, eight assists in Game 2) has been electric during the Sixers’ first two games of this year’s postseason.
Maxey recorded 61 points, 13 boards, and 10 assists during the pair of home playoff tilts, which makes him the fifth player aged 21-or-younger with at least 60 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists over two consecutive playoff games to accomplish that feat (Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, Magic Johnson).
Coach Doc Rivers credits the point guard’s ability to make in-game adjustments for his success thus far.
“I told him [Tyrese Maxey] when we took him out and put him back in, I said, ‘listen, they’re crowding you a little bit, but you’re not aggressive at all. And, let’s get back to being you. You belong, just go play.’ And he did that from that point on,” Rivers told the media in Philadelphia following the Sixers’ 112-97 win over the Raptors.
Maxey and teammate James Harden continue to have great on-court chemistry and it’s allowing the Sixers to win the minutes where Joel Embiid isn’t playing.
“They’ve just been doing a great job of playing with pace and looking for matchups,” Embiid explained after Game 2. “Favorable matchups. To attack. Just playing the game with each other. Whether it’s Tyrese [Maxey] attacking or James [Harden] going one on one with a favorable matchup and finding guys that way too. I think it’s been great. That’s what we all need all series and for the future too.”
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Tobias Harris has had a nice Game 2 vs. the Raptors, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while swatting a career-high three blocks. “[Pascal Siakam is] a tough matchup just with his size. But, I try to use my quickness laterally and my strength to make him make second moves out there,” Harris explained. “So, just really reading some of the things that he wants to do. And make every look that he gets a tough look. They’re playing like that. They run a lot of sets through him. He’s a good player getting downhill as well, so just trying to beat him to the spot and making him take tough twos.”
- The Sixers are currently -2000 to win their first-round matchup with the Raptors (they opened the series as a favorite with -185 odds). currently have +1400 odds to win the NBA Finals and are +500 to win the Eastern Conference (via PointsBet).
- ICYMI: Philadelphia won the tiebreaker over the Spurs and Bucks with regard to draft pick order in the first round. You can find the entire Pre-Lottery Draft Order here.
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