Maxey drops career-high 54, lifts 76ers over Bucks in OT
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MILWAUKEE — Tyrese Maxey logged 46½ exhausting minutes and produced a personal-best 54 points Thursday night, guiding the Philadelphia 76ers to a 123-114 overtime win against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The third-year guard added nine assists and converted 18 of 30 shots, 6 of 15 from deep and 12 of 14 at the stripe. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Maxey and Wilt Chamberlain are the only players in franchise history to record at least 50 points and nine assists in the same game.
Philadelphia (9-6) needed every bit of his effort. Former MVP Joel Embiid sat out a sixth straight contest with a sore right knee, and newly acquired wing Paul George is still ramping up after missing the first 12 games following offseason knee surgery. The extra burden has not slowed Maxey, who entered the night leading the league at 40.3 minutes per game and now ranks second in scoring at 33.4, trailing only the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic (34.6).
“I’m blessed,” Maxey said. “Anytime your name is mentioned with Wilt, you just smile.”
The 24-year-old was listed as probable after bruising his right quadriceps in Wednesday’s loss at Toronto. He decided to play once pregame treatment allowed him to run comfortably, determined to be more assertive than the previous night, when he attempted only 14 shots. On Thursday he never left the floor after halftime, and his two free throws with seven seconds remaining forced the extra period.
Head coach Nick Nurse said there was usually a conversation about rest to start the fourth quarter. “He didn’t want to talk tonight. He wanted to stay in,” Nurse noted.
George, appearing in just his second game of the season, praised his new teammate’s commitment. “I’ve been around a lot of great players,” George said. “What you don’t see is that after 45-plus minutes, he still goes to the weight room. That’s why he’s at this level.”
Maxey credited Milwaukee’s extended use of a zone defense for conserving his energy. “The zone slowed it down,” he explained. “I didn’t have to move as much, so I told Coach I could keep going.”
Embiid’s timetable remains day-to-day, and Nurse indicated the club will continue to ride its dynamic guard as long as necessary. Maxey seems fine with the arrangement. “I just want to win,” he said. “If I have to lead the league in minutes, so be it.”
Source: ESPN
