DALLAS — Tyrese Maxey had a great homecoming.
After practicing at Buddy Hield's Big D mansion on Saturday, Maxey took an Uber to his parents' house. The next day, the Garland, Texas native led the Sixers to a 120-116 victory over the Dallas Mavericks with his family and friends in the stands at American Airlines Center.
Sunday's win was the second straight for the Sixers (35-25) since Kyle Lowry and Mo Bamba were added to the starting lineup.
The group of Hield, Tobias Harris, Bamba, Maxey, and Lowry played with great cohesion and great communication. Lowry, a six-time All-Star, is also an unquestioned leader. Harris scored 28 points in his second straight quality game. But make no mistake, this moment, and the entire weekend, was all about Maxey.
» Read more: Kyle Lowry is the Sixers' leader.They would be wise to keep their best pure point guard in the starting lineup.
“It was awesome,” he said of his return home. “I don't know what time I left my mom's house last night, but I think it was probably around 11:30. So I spend all my time there. There were people I hadn't seen in years, people who were always texting me and sending me prayers. So I'm grateful to them for things like that.”
Maxie enjoyed spending time with family and friends at his mother's house, playing cards and eating meals. “I was able to hold on to them and love them a little bit,” he said. “So, that was great.”
The Sixers' All-Star guard had 24 points, three assists, and two steals. Maxey set the tempo with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the first quarter, and Harris and Kelly Oubre Jr. (21 points) took over.
Maxey's play in the first quarter might have been the most important part of the game for the Sixers. Dallas scored the first 11 points of the game. But when Maxey was replaced, the Sixers entered the second quarter with a 32-22 lead.
exciting ending
The Mavs (34-27) pulled within 115-110 on Luka Doncic's 3-point jumper with 34.3 seconds left. The Sixers called a timeout with 26.7 seconds left. After receiving an inbounds pass, Maxey was fouled by Josh Green and hit two foul shots to give the Sixers a seven-point lead 1.6 seconds later. This caused the Mavs to take a timeout.
After Kyrie Irving made a 3-pointer, Niko Batum was fouled with 10.8 seconds left. The Sixers forward hit two foul shots, then Irving hit three more to make the game 119-116. But with 5.1 seconds remaining, Oubre responded to a foul shot and the Sixers escaped with a four-point lead.
But Maxie had fears.
» READ MORE: Buddy Hield hosts Sixers practice at home gym: 'It was great to come out here'
The fourth-year athlete was driving in the lane when he fell to the floor with four minutes left in the third quarter, inadvertently hitting the back of his head. Maxey rolled around in pain for several minutes, then got up and walked to the Sixers' bench. Immediately, Maxey, his father, and medical staff from both teams went to the exam room. After being evaluated by Mavs doctors, Maxey was cleared to play and resumed play at the start of the fourth quarter.
Maxey said he moved too fast and slipped during the play, causing the accident. Asked if he was scared, Maxie jokingly replied, “I'm never scared,” a line from the Bone Crusher hit “Never Scared.”
“Let me just say this: When I hit my head, I could see my twin nieces,” he said. “They stood up and said, 'Hey, you better stand up or we're going to get down there.'”
grow through adjustment
Maxey has made a number of adjustments, from the luxury of playing opposite Joel Embiid to the scoring burden.
“I think it was a great experience for him,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “We're learning a lot and I think he's learning a lot. I think there's a lot of room to grow here.”
But it's an interesting situation for Maxey and the Sixers. He never found himself in a situation where he had to provide scoring power early in the season. Maxey was focused on running the team and deciding when to shoot and when to involve others. At the same time, the Sixers wanted him to improve defensively.
“And Joel left.” [after knee surgery] And now he has a completely different scenario,” Nurse said. “He's obviously our best offensive player and we need him to take a lot of shots. I'll probably shoot it about five times in a row.” I'm still pushing the aggressive part first and foremost because it's not quite his nature yet. ”
That being said, Maxey still needs to see the floor and spread the ball out a bit. However, with the addition of Lowry, he was removed from some of his facilitative roles. The North Philadelphia native, who signed with the Sixers on Feb. 13, made his second consecutive start Sunday.
Maxey attempted 33 shots against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, but only 15 against the Mavs.
» READ MORE: Reserve point guard Cameron Payne called for Sixers offense to be more aggressive
Maxey led the way and the Sixers defeated Dallas 32-11 in the first quarter after Nurse called a timeout 2 minutes, 13 seconds into the game. The Mavs were making 4 of 4 shots before the timeout, but made just 3 of 16 shots in the following quarter.
Maxey started the second quarter on the bench. But as Harris scored 12 points in the quarter, Maxey became more of a organizer when he checked in with 7 minutes, 18 seconds left. He did not attempt his first shot of the quarter until the 4:41 mark. He scored two points on 1-of-3 shooting in the quarter. Maxey had five points after the break, all from the foul line. He made the right decision to get the ball out of his hands quickly and attempted just two shots as the Mavs continued to blitz.
“For some people, it takes a long time,” Nurse said. “They’re still dribbling around and trying to split things up.” [defenders] And keep dribbling forever.But we're working on it a lot, because we've seen that since Joel left. [after knee surgery].
“We worked at Buddy's house yesterday. We're in a position where we definitely know how far apart we are.”
west town reunion
In this game, two former West Town School centers competed in the starting lineup.
Bamba, a 2017 Westtown graduate, is making his second consecutive start for the Sixers. Meanwhile, outstanding rookie Derek Lively II, who graduated in 2022, started for the Mavs.
Both were McDonald's All-Americans in high school and one of three former NBA standouts at Westtown. Cam Reddish, a 2018 Westtown graduate, plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Sunday, Bamba had eight points and five rebounds while splitting time at center with Paul Reed (13 points, seven rebounds). Meanwhile, Lively had four points and three rebounds. Doncic scored 38 points for the Mavs.
» READ MORE: From third-stringer to All-Star: Tyrese Maxey finds his place among the NBA's best players
“Honestly, it was amazing,” Bamba said of his start against Lively. “I didn't really know Derek when I was there either. He wasn't going to school when I was there. But he met me shortly after I left, about a year or two later. I think, Coach Seth. [Berger] He said there was another one. [pro] come out. It wasn't just because he was tall, it was because he had everything that was invisible to the eye. ”
Sixers reserve point guard Cam Payne did not play due to illness. He was ejected from the arena before the game.
