The Philadelphia 76ers needed somebody to lift them on Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back. The Sixers were searching for answers as they were fighting fatigue after having to fly from Philadelphia after a tough loss on Wednesday.
Look no further than Tyrese Maxey. The 6-year guard from Kentucky threw the Sixers on his back as he scored a career-high 54 points on 18-for-30 shooting, 6-for-15 from deep, nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, and three blocks while playing 46 minutes in a 123-114 overtime win over the Bucks.
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Maxey is the leader of this Sixers team and he has done a phenomenal job of keeping himself in shape and being ready to play big minutes. This comes after he had to play 38 minutes on Wednesday as he continues to show the work he has done on his body to keep himself in shape.
“It looked nice,” Justin Edwards told reporters after the win. “18-for-30. That was a real nice 54-ball, but you know, that’s something that—I expect that from Reese, honestly. Just his work ethic. The time he puts into basketball. Just basketball gods rewarding him.”
There just isn’t much the Bucks could do to slow Maxey down. He was getting into the paint, he was finishing floaters off either foot, he was knocking down deep triples, and it left Milwaukee searching for answers.
“He’s special,” marveled Paul George. “He’s, man, he’s gifted. I think what you guys don’t see and what stands out is after the game, on a back-to-back, 50, 40-plus, 45-plus minutes, he goes and lifts, and that just speaks volumes to who he is, why he’s where he’s at.”
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George has been around the likes of Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Carmelo Anthony, and many others. He has seen the work they’ve put in to be as great as they are and Maxey has proven to do the same.
“I’ve been around a lot of great guys in this league, and that’s what they do,” George added. “They do the stuff like that keeps them going, keeps them strong, and always working themselves. So therefore, you see his production on the floor, he puts the work in. He’s special. He’s a talent.”
Just to put Maxey’s night in perspective, he joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in franchise history to score 50 points and have nine assists in the same game. That is the type of performance that deserves MVP consideration.
“He’s got a unique kind of double threat, which is the speed, which will get him past people, and then the really deep shooting range,” added coach Nick Nurse. “So, there’s a lot of space he’s playing in there, and again, he’s just really talented. I think that his confidence continues to grow. His teammates’ confidence in him continues to grow as well, and I mean, that’s a big game, but when he’s scoring, it doesn’t surprise me that much.”
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As Maxey and the Sixers now prepare to face the Miami Heat, he will need to adjust again and prepare for a tough Miami team, but as long as he continues playing with this much confidence, there isn’t much teams can do to stop him.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Multiple Sixers react to Tyrese Maxey’s career night in win over Bucks