Tyrese Maxey is always motivated by the idea of challenging the best leaders in the league, and the presence of Tyrese Haliburton, drafted in 2020 like him, in the opposite camp already represented a big source of motivation. But the determination of the Sixers leader was also increased tenfold by the twist of fate that struck his new teammate, Kelly Oubre. The day before this match against Indiana, the winger was hit by a car, stopping the momentum of his good start to the season under his new colors.
To pay tribute to him, Tyrese Maxey took out his anger on the poor Pacers. Result of the races? 50 points! Alongside Joel Embiid (37 points), he was the great architect of his team’s 137-126 victory, accompanying his 20/32 shooting performance with 7 rebounds, 5 assists… and 3 blocks!
Obviously, his first words after the meeting were to Kelly Oubre Jr. to whom he dedicated his performance and Philadelphia’s victory.
“We only think of Kelly Oubre”, he declared after the meeting. “We pray for him. I love my friend. I barely know him, but I love him. I hope he recovers quickly.”
A united locker room like never before
Tyrese Maxey seemed to walk on water in sequences, as if carried by a supernatural force, symbolized by his last basket of the match, a 3-pointer from downtown against Buddy Hield which made the Wells Fargo Center explode with joy . It was Joel Embiid who gave him the ball at the head of the racket, setting a screen for him afterwards, in order to see him at work again, so that he could reach the symbolic bar of 50 points.
“More than me, Joel wanted me to get 50 points”continued Tyrese Maxey. “When he gave me the ball, he said, ‘You’re going to take this shot.’ This is why I appreciate my teammates, my coaches and the fans. It was a great evening and we won, that’s what matters most.”
After a very good start to the season, it is as if this unfortunate accident which affected Kelly Oubre Jr had united the group even more. The team’s first instinct was to contact the winger by FaceTime and then send him a video where all the players celebrated the victory in his honor.
“About today’s match. I’m sure Tyrese was thinking of him, and that’s what we were all thinking. We just want him to take his time, take care of himself, and let him know that we are behind him. We need him because he is very important to us. We missed him tonight, but he needs to take his time”confided Joel Embiid.
Tyrese Maxey’s performance was also caused by the resistance of the Pacers, who held firm throughout the match and were still at -5 at the start of the “money-time” (116-111), until Tyrese Maxey signals the end of recess with four crazy baskets…
“We play together and we trust each other”added the reigning MVP. “You might think we didn’t defend tonight, but Indiana plays so fast, the pace is incredible! So they’re going to score a lot, but we fought. We let our guard down a little bit, but Tyrese helped us finish.”
| Tyrese Maxey | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2020-21 | PHL | 61 | 15 | 46.2 | 30.1 | 87.1 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 8.0 |
| 2021-22 | PHL | 75 | 35 | 48.5 | 42.7 | 86.6 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 17.5 |
| 2022-23 | PHL | 60 | 34 | 48.1 | 43.4 | 84.5 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 20.3 |
| 2023-24 | PHL | 8 | 38 | 48.0 | 39.3 | 92.5 | 0.6 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 7.5 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 25.9 |
| Total | 204 | 29 | 47.9 | 41.2 | 86.3 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 15.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
