In the Philadelphia 76ers’ Christmas Day loss to the Miami Heat, with Joel Embiid absent and back home as the team started its road trip, Tyrese Maxey contributed the most shots for the Sixers. However, only four of his 20 attempts found the bottom of the net, which was a major factor in the 119-113 defeat.
Maxey faced a lot of defensive pressure from the Fever, who played without Jimmy Butler. He was able to create open opportunities but failed to capitalize throughout the first half and most of the second half. Facing such challenges is crucial for his development. He reacted very badly in this match.
“I mean, they were doing the usual things I see when I’m out there without Joe – blitzing, some hard showing,” Maxey told reporters after the game. “But for the most part, I had some really good looks and some shots that I make, I don’t know, four, five times out of 10. I think it’s just one of those days.”
Maxey has attempted 20 goals 29 times in one game in his career. He scored the fewest goals in this game, the next closest were seven. The Sixers combined for 52 points on 19-of-34 shooting from Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tobias Harris, but Maxey’s ineffectiveness made it much harder for the Sixers to steal an away win.
“Gotta flush it. It’s bad,” Maxey said, explaining, “A lot of those shots are ones I make every game. A couple of times I’ve had someone get me off balance and I’ve gotten so far away that I’ve been open. It just didn’t go into the goal. I missed three free throws. I haven’t missed a free throw like that in a long time. It happens.”
Bam Adebayo and Jaime Jaquez Jr. were the Heat’s standouts, but the Sixers held on with a great third quarter despite trailing by as many as 21 points in the second half. Maxey contributed five assists and made shots throughout the game, which is the right response to shooting slumps from guys as talented as him.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse agreed that today was not Tyrese Maxey’s night. He acknowledged his level of aggression, but said he could have made a few more shots at the end of the game.
“They definitely had some plans to double-team him and not give him a lot of space and stuff like that. They made him try,” Nurse said. “I think he got to some good spots and he just had one of those nights, you know? I think he had some really good attempts, especially early on with the threes. I thought he got into the game a couple of times. I think they played him quite physical. They didn’t really point out the driving shots at the beginning. Maybe that affected him a little bit, but he should not let it affect him. I think it was one of the difficult nights for him.”
When asked about the refereeing decisions, Maxey deflected the blame for the missed shots to himself. The Sixers’ guard threw his hands up when he was hit repeatedly (and should have gotten a few more whistles). But it’s good to see his focus on what he can control.
Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers will have a chance to recover on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.