Breaking down seven standout plays from Maxey’s 51-point gem
Breaking down seven standout plays from Maxey’s 51-point gem originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Tyrese Maxey’s game tends to speak quite well for itself.
Smile on his face wherever he goes, Maxey whizzes around the court — off ball screens and down screens, past defenders, ahead of the pack — and finds ways to score.
The Sixers’ 23-year-old first-time All-Star did all that to the tune of a career-high 51 points Thursday in a tight, Joel Embiid-less win over the Jazz. While sitting back and watching told its own rich story, the seven plays below stood out from Maxey’s spectacular night.
Starting near the end and very far from the rim sounds right. The Jazz were determined to deny him the ball throughout the fourth quarter and the Sixers faced their largest deficit of the game at 120-117. Maxey used a Mo Bamba screen, dribbled to his left and decided to shoot from about nine feet behind the three-point line. He swished the jumper.
Along with Maxey’s knack for fearless fourth-quarter shotmaking, the moment showed off his deep range. As of Friday morning, Maxey ranks fourth in the NBA with 7.0 attempts per game from 25 to 29 feet out, and he’s made 35.6 percent of those shots. Volume-wise, he trails only Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell. The players directly behind Maxey are Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum and Klay Thompson.
Maxey’s long-distance ability is always on defenders’ minds. It allows him to make especially effective pump fakes, burst downhill, and display his diligently honed package of contortionist’s layups.
In the pick-and-roll, Maxey’s talent and craft both shined Thursday. He exploded by Walker Kessler’s drop coverage in the third quarter, picking the perfect time to step on the gas and drive in for a hoop.
Utah guarded a middle pick-and-roll with Maxey and Paul Reed decently on the Sixers’ last possession of the second quarter. It didn’t matter, though.
Maxey was fine going to his left, getting back to his…
