Sixers: Tyrese Maxey Sizzles as the Nets Remain Winless

(Photo : Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA, PA - Tyrese Maxey (#0) of the Philadelphia 76ers goes up for a layup against Mikal Bridges (#1) of the Brooklyn Nets in the first quarter during Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 17, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Nets 96-84.

Off a high-post pass from Nicolas Claxton and a screen from Cameron Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie took on James Harden's "stop and point" defense and got an easy layup as a reward. The Brooklyn Nets' lead was back up to seven. With just a minute gone by in the third quarter, Doc Rivers called an early timeout to halt the surge.

Read Also: Predicting the 2023 Sixers-Nets Series

Maxey-mizing the Sixers' Offense

With James Harden and Joel Embiid struggling offensively, Tyrese Maxey was more than happy to take over the scoring reins. He's the lone Sixer in double figures at the half with 15, shooting at a 75% clip. Embiid cannot even go beyond eight points before the break.

Harden had it rougher. His eight points are already for the entire night, on 3 of 13 shooting.

The Nets thought they had it finally going. Johnson was on fire, already outscoring his Game 1 self in the first half. He even put on MVP Finalist Embiid on a poster before the second period was over.

 Fresh from the timeout at the 10:59 mark of the third quarter, the Sixers got back in with a renewed vision. It took them just over a minute to erase the Nets' seven-point lead, courtesy of Maxey, Embiid, and Tobias Harris. The latter two finished the game with 20 points each. Maxey reigned supreme with 33.

They were able to douse Johnson's hot streak, limiting him to only six points in the second half for a team-high of 28.

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