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    • 3 observations after Maxey (45 points) overcomes crisis and leads Sixers to OT win – NBC Sports Philadelphia
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    3 observations after Maxey (45 points) overcomes crisis and leads Sixers to OT win – NBC Sports Philadelphia

    Kathleen William Posted on

    The No. 0 Sixers saved the day and made sure his team didn't get stuck with zero wins.

    Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers to a 118-114 overtime road win over the Pacers on Sunday, scoring 45 points after starting 2-for-11 from the floor. Entering the game, he had only made 29.6 percent of his shots from the field and 19 percent from three-point range.

    Caleb Martin had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who improved to 1-2 and will play the Pistons at home on Wednesday night. Andre Drummond scored nine points and 17 rebounds.

    The Sixers were still dealing with issues with Joel Embiid (left knee injury treatment) and Paul George (left knee bruise), meaning Maxey had to heroically overcome his early-season slump.

    Here are observations from the Sixers' wild overtime win on Sunday:

    Much needed hustleupgrade

    The Sixers' first few minutes didn't suggest they had flipped a switch.

    On the team's first possession, Myles Turner ripped the ball away from Andre Drummond at the post. Tyrese Haliburton's second layup gave Indiana a 6-0 lead.

    The Sixers had minimal offensive variety in the early going and didn't put much pressure on the Pacers' defense with zone drives. Maxey, Martin, Kyle Lowry and Kelly Oubre Jr. all missed their first attempts of the day from three-point range.

    Eventually, Oubre and Martin began striking aggressively and scoring inside. Martin generally seemed good at initiating the Sixers' offense in certain actions earlier this season while Maxey was away from the ball. Eric Gordon also scored seven points in his first stint on Sunday without being substituted.

    Compared to Friday night's loss to the Raptors, the Sixers were on a tear. Guerschon Yabusele chased down a missed shot from Gordon and hit a three-pointer to Maxey in the corner, giving the Sixers a 23-16 lead.

    Lowry sank a three-pointer with about 25 seconds left in the second quarter after Yabusele gained an extra possession by diving up the floor. KJ Martin paced Indiana with two offensive rebounds late in the first quarter and 6-foot-11 rookie Jared McCain snuck in for a put-back layup early in the second quarter.

    In total, the Sixers secured 20 offensive boards, the Pacers seven.

    Maxey Hammers through break-in

    The Sixers played zone defense with Yabusele at center and their big men avoided the serious foul problems that dogged them in the team's losses to Milwaukee and Toronto.

    The Pacers' offense continued to get going in the second quarter with 35 points. Maxey's subpar decision-making and uncharacteristic giveaways helped Indiana build a lead of as many as nine points late in the second period.

    In the first half, the 23-year-old point guard often looked like a player who had started the season slowly and didn't know exactly what would work. Andrew Nembhard kept Maxey tight on the ball and Turner limited his clean attacks to pull-up threes from the pick-and-roll.

    Maxey had four turnovers in the first half, doubling his total from the Sixers' first two games. At one point, he stared at Pascal Siakam at the top of the key, went left and coughed the ball up to TJ McConnell. He later threw a one-handed pass near McCain on the wing that landed out of bounds.

    Some of Maxey's problems were simply narrow misses on shots he took correctly, including two open jumpers on the Sixers' first play of the third quarter. He seemed increasingly focused on breaking out of his slump, making seven field goals in the first six minutes and the third quarter's transition. Nobody went in.

    Still, Maxey made four three-pointers early in the third period, not relying solely on his jumper and realizing the Sixers needed him to keep attacking. He finally managed to knock down a driving left-handed layup, tying the game at 68, and pumped his fist after Indiana called a timeout.

    This moment apparently brought Maxey back into shape. He converted a tough layup, hit a pull-up three-pointer to extend the Sixers' lead and let off steam with a loud, full-chested celebration.

    Sixers emerge from the Late game chaos

    Indiana immediately erased its deficit with a 9-0 run, right after the Sixers' Maxey-fueled spurt.

    McCain showed his youth against the ever-annoying McConnell. The former Sixer absorbed a charge on McCain and then slipped past him for a layup.

    Sixers head coach Nick Nurse understandably didn't feel like he could let Maxey rest for long. He came back and hit a difficult lefty floater over Isaiah Jackson on the Sixers' final play of the third quarter. Maxey, who averaged 40 minutes per game in the afternoon, logged 48 minutes against the Pacers.

    With McConnell and Nembhard often chasing him in the backcourt, Maxey continued to make crucial shots. He hit a baseline jumper, a step-back three and a catch-and-shoot triple off another Yabusele offensive board.

    The end of regulation was full of drama and official criticism. Nurse had a costly, unsuccessful challenge over an out-of-bounds call when the officials upon review determined that Caleb Martin had committed a foul under the NBA's new Proximate Foul rule.

    Shortly after that play, Nurse received a technical foul. Turner threw a jumper into the air and the referees stopped play to confirm the ball had not touched the rim before putting six seconds on the shot clock. The nurse was angry at how the sequence was handled. Haliburton missed the ensuing technical free throw.

    The Sixers made several key stops in a row and finally took the lead with a quick layup by Caleb Martin. Drummond then made a crucial defensive play to take the ball away from Haliburton, and two free throws from Maxey grew the Sixers' lead to 105-102.

    Haliburton brought the ball up and the Sixers didn't intentionally foul him on the ground. The two-time All-Star guard faked to Oubre and somehow sank a lopsided, off-balance three-pointer. Maxey's throw across the court at the buzzer in the fourth quarter failed.

    Thanks largely to Maxey, the Sixers were able to shake off the disappointment of not securing a regulation win. Maxey opened the scoring with a three-pointer in overtime. He also had two massive left-handed layups, including one where he quickly rounded an attempted Pacers blitz.

    Again, the Sixers' performance at the end of the game was not at all textbook.

    This time they chose a three-point foul, but their lead was cut to two after Aaron Nesmith made both free throws and Maxey shared a pair. Caleb Martin then made a big mistake when he fouled Haliburton with five seconds left.

    Luckily for the Sixers, Haliburton missed his first free throw. He intentionally missed his second goal, the Sixers grabbed the defensive rebound and, fittingly, Maxey finally ended the game at the foul line.

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    Kathleen William
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