Sixers

Tyrese Maxey “Mixed in So Much of What he Does So Well” in Historic 50 Burger Performance

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Nov 13th, 2023 · 9:05 AM EST

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After scoring a career-high 50 points in the Sixers’ 137-126 win against the Pacers, Tyrese Maxey says Joel Embiid may have wanted to reach the plateau more than he did.

“He was going to grab the ball and was like, ‘You are going to shoot this basketball,’” Maxey joked after the win. “I just appreciate my teammates, appreciate the fans, coaching staff. It was a great night. We got the win and that’s what matters the most.”

The win does matter the most, but Maxey was on fire Sunday night, shooting 20-32 from the floor, 7-11 from three, and just 3-3 from the foul line. That might be the craziest part, that he put up a 50-burger where 47 of the points came off regular field goals.

“It was amazing to watch,” Embiid noted. “I said at the end, I’ve had a bunch of (50 point games), but it’s fun to watch someone else do it. Especially since when I do it, I usually have 20 free throws. Just his shot-making ability, his step-back, crossovers, and it goes back to the work he put in this offseason with his people and it’s paying off. I’m just so happy for him.”

No doubt, it was the variety of shot making, the start/stop ability he’s shown through the years, and added three-point range as well. Do yourself a favor and watch two minutes worth of highlights here:

Full 2 minute highlight reel from Tyrese Maxey’s 50-point masterpiece

He’s a superstar pic.twitter.com/jGNGzG1ihg

— Daniel Olinger (@dan_olinger) November 13, 2023

It’s incredibly well-balanced. A log here of what’s in that clip:

1. pick and roll: drive, floater
2. pick and roll: pull up 3
3. pistol/DHO: pull up 3
4. middle high pick and roll: floater
5. middle high pick and roll: layup high off the glass
6. double drag (intentional?) and pull up 3
7. iso step back 3
8. ATO: off screen into pull up corner 3
9. pistol corner turn, slot drive layup
10. DHO into step back three
11. attacks close out, drive to rim for layup
12. brush cut, step back 3
13. attacks close out, floater in the lane
14. DHO: step back 3

That’s not all of it, of course. You’d need a longer clip to fit all of his made shots in there, but the point stands. Look at the variety of scoring he did on Sunday night. He’s using screens, driving to the rack, getting downhill off of pistol action, and just doing some nasty individual step-back and space creation stuff.

“I think he just mixed in so much of what he does so well,” Nick Nurse said after the game. “I thought he blasted to the basket with speed, a bunch of times. Then he did his step back or separation for threes, just a heavy dose of both. I think it’s really, obviously, really hard to guard. It’s really hard when he’s that fast one way, and he’s so deadly a shooter the other direction. So, it’s kinda like, which one are we trying to take away? That kind of makes it hard.”

The Clippers, meantime, are 0-4 since the James Harden trade.

Th evolution in Maxey’s shooting range / distance from just a year ago is trending to astonishing levels pic.twitter.com/eF4CXrXm0Y

— Thiago (@ThiagoPHL) November 13, 2023