Tyrese Maxey kicked off the Sixers’ six-game homestand with a brilliant performance Tuesday night.
He dropped 43 points and the Sixers notched a 118-104 win over the Lakers at Wells Fargo Center.
With their third straight victory, the Sixers moved to 18-27. The Lakers fell to 26-19.
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Kelly Oubre Jr. recorded a third straight 20-point game and was the Sixers' second-leading scorer. He tallied 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
LeBron James posted 31 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
The Sixers’ six players out with injuries included Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and Paul George.
According to a team official, imaging revealed an injury to the extensor tendon in George’s left pinkie finger and a return-to-play timeline will be determined in the coming days. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that George’s injury is not major and his status is “day-to-day.”
NBA
Lakers star Anthony Davis only played 10 minutes before exiting with an abdominal muscle strain.
The Sixers will wrap up their latest back-to-back Wednesday night vs. the Kings. Here are observations on their victory over Los Angeles:
Facing James … and James Jr.
At 40 years old and with 20 All-Star selections, there’s always a palpable buzz whenever James is in the building. He was immediately in the middle of the action, slamming in a fast-break dunk to give the Lakers a 6-0 lead. Late in the first quarter, James passed Maurice Cheeks for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time steals list.
The Sixers’ relative lack of size was an expected issue early. The Lakers scored their first 14 points in the paint and the Sixers fell into a nine-point hole.
With Gabe Vincent (left knee soreness out), Lakers head coach JJ Redick opted to sub rookie Bronny James in for the final 4:33 of the first quarter. For the Sixers, veterans Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson checked in together.
Maxey and the Sixers tested the 20-year-old James right away. The Sixers’ star guard went at James and drained a right elbow jumper over him. James then committed a turnover that led to a loud Guerschon Yabusele dunk.
Even when James guarded him decently, Maxey was glad to keep attacking. His tightly contested baseline bucket over James tied the game at 23-all and put Maxey at 15 points. Especially with two All-Stars out and a rookie on him, Maxey had an uncomplicated, score-first approach.
“I was just trying to be ultra-aggressive. … I saw they were switching pick-and-rolls and then I just tried my best,” Maxey said. “I think we just did a good job of playing hard, honestly. They came in and hit us in the mouth a little bit. It was a little stagnant early in the game. Yabu did a good job of getting us going with myself, and after that we kind of just kept it rolling.”
Good work from Council after G League appearance
Eric Gordon served as the Sixers’ main defender on LeBron James. He was generally solid with that assignment and continued his run of efficient scoring with 14 points on 4-for-8 shooting.
Maxey was no one-quarter wonder. He drew two free throws after his own steal and knocked them down to lift the Sixers to a 10-point edge. The Sixers had a 15-2 halftime advantage in points off turnovers, often capitalizing on the Lakers’ sloppiness with straightforward, no-nonsense work on the fast break. It didn’t hurt that the Lakers started 1 for 10 from three-point range.
Two days after being assigned to the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats for a game, Ricky Council IV played a strong second quarter. He scored nine points in six minutes, including a corner three with 4.8 seconds left in the second period that extended the Sixers’ lead to 73-57.
Credit to Council for not taking the Blue Coats assignment as some sort of profound or permanent demotion. Rookie Justin Edwards has been ahead of Council in the Sixers’ wing pecking order, but George’s injury has created an opportunity for Council that he’s handled nicely the last two games.
“Again, just trying to get him to play his role, get some confidence,” Nurse said. “I think it might have helped him a little bit just to go down there and maybe relax a touch, but also be able to play. And I thought ... he played right. He didn’t just go down there and try to score all the time. He really passed the ball, made the right play, and that’s just going to help him.
“And I thought he went in there with some good bounce tonight. I loved the way he rebounded a couple of times. He really went up and snatched some rebounds down. That’s also important.”
Another injury meant that Pete Nance got thrown into the game Tuesday night. Yabusele went back to the locker room with 3:44 remaining in the second quarter after throwing a pass and then going down awkwardly, holding his right knee. He’s recently played through right knee swelling.
The Sixers were surely happy to see Yabusele return to the bench about two minutes later and start the second half. Even with his health obviously not at 100 percent, Yabusele was quite productive— 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting, five rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Maxey making the scoreboard move a ton
The Lakers gained a bit of momentum early in the third quarter, stopping the Sixers on a few possessions where Max Christie face guarded Maxey.
The Sixers kept profiting off Lakers turnovers, though. Yabusele intercepted a James pass, pushed the ball forward and assisted a wide-open Maxey three. Los Angeles went down 20 points on a long Gordon triple.
Soon, the question of exactly how much Maxey would score became a larger storyline than the game’s result. He hit a baseline jumper late in the third quarter and then said a few smiling words to the L.A. bench. Maxey reached his eighth career 40-point game before the end of the third.
Although there was no pressing need for Maxey to play the fourth quarter, Nurse subbed him back in anyway with the Sixers up 21 points and 6:34 to go. He added one more driving layup, then sat for the final time.
Given his stellar consistency lately, perhaps Maxey's performance shouldn't have come as a great surprise. He's now at 11 consecutive games with at least 28 points.
He said postgame that he's been “playing with a free mind” and thanked family and friends for helping him to be joyful on the court again.
“I think early in the year, I was kind of just … worried about what was going on,” Maxey said. “There was a lot going on, injuries and all that, and it just kind of sucks. Now, I just have the mindset of whoever’s out here is out here. We’ve got to go play extremely hard and give ourselves a chance to win the game. I know that’s going to start with me and I’m OK with that. I’m up for the challenge.
“I’m blessed to be able to get up every single morning and do what I love to do. … Like I said, there was a stretch this year where I wasn’t my happiest. There just was a lot going on. I don’t like to lose; I’ve said that the last five years. But in my mind, I was like, ‘I’m going to go out here, coach up my teammates and make them feel like they want to play basketball, uplift them. And try to be the best possible version of myself and help us win games.’ I think that’s what I’ve been doing.”