Sixers takeaways: Paul George steps up, Tyrese Maxey gets defensive, and more in victory over Bucks

With Paul George leading the way, the 76ers showed they can win on nights Tyrese Maxey struggles offensively.

On the flip side, it’s time to stop being critical of Maxey’s defense.

And Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow might be the NBA’s best two-way players.

Those things stood out in Friday’s 116-101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.

Maxey’s streak of scoring at least 20 points ended with 21 games. The early-season MVP candidate had a season-low 12 points on 5-for-14 — including missing all three of his three-pointers — along with finishing with four rebounds, four assists, a team-high four steals, and one block.

Maxey’s scoring was a significant drop off from his career-high 54 points against the Bucks in the Sixers’ 123-114 overtime victory in Milwaukee on Nov. 20.

» READ MORE: Big night from Paul George, Sixers bench players headline 116-101 win over Bucks

This time, Milwaukee (10-14) made a conscious effort to get the ball out of Maxey’s hand. But that tactic led to other Sixers stepping up and contributing.

Paul George hit several clutch shots en route to finishing with 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists. With the Bucks mounting a comeback, the 6-foot-8 forward hit two straight jumpers to give the Sixers (13-9) a 101-87 lead with 5 minutes, 51 seconds remaining. Then he grabbed a huge defensive rebound to ward off another comeback attempt with 2:52 to play. George scored six points and four rebounds in the fourth quarter.

George took a lot of the pressure off Maxey while logging a season-high 29 minutes, 58 seconds. He brought the basketball up the court and initiated the offense. His performance had to be refreshing for the Sixers coaching staff to see.

George missed Thursday’s 99-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors due to left knee injury recovery. And Friday’s matchup was just his seventh game of the season.

“I just wanted to come out and get us on a good note,” George told NBC Sports Philadelphia following the game. “That was just my mindset. My body is starting to shape back. I’m blessed that I’m healthy, and I’m just trying to stack games.”

George actually sat Maxey down in the fourth quarter to tell him not to worry. He said that he would finish things out for the Sixers.

“That’s what he’s here for,” Maxey told the media. “You know what I mean? And we appreciate Paul.”

Reserves Quentin Grimes (a team-high 22 points on six three-pointers), Adem Bona (10 points), and Walker (a season-high 18 points) also stepped up. The Sixers also led, 61-41, in bench points to help fill the gap.

Not too long ago, Maxey was considered a defensive liability. That’s why there was a lot of excitement when the Sixers selected VJ Edgecombe third in June’s NBA draft. That thought was that Edgecombe or Grimes could provide a defensive presence while starting alongside Maxey in the backcourt.

But if we learned one thing recently, Maxey is quieting his critics.

On Thursday, the point guard blocked former Sixer De’Anthony Melton’s layup right before the final buzzer to preserve Thursday’s victory.

Then, on Friday, Maxey finished with four steals for the third time this season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder put his defensive imprint on the game early, recording three steals in the first quarter. Then he blocked AJ Green’s three-pointer late in the second quarter.

This comes after Maxey averaged 3.0 steals and one block in his previous two games. He’s averaged 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks through his first 21 games.

As fourth-year players, Barlow and Walkers aren’t your typical players on two-way contracts. Walker actually signed a multi-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers after being selected by them with the 59th pick of the 2022 draft.

Meanwhile, Barlow went undrafted in 2022 but had his two-way contracts with the San Antonio Spurs (2023-24) and the Atlanta Hawks (2024-25) converted to standard deals the past two seasons.

Yet, they both have been huge bargains after signing two-way deals with the Sixers in July. So far, Walker has averaged 4.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in his first 20 games. Meanwhile, Barlow took averages of 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds into the game.

Barlow made his 10th start of the season at power forward Friday night. The 6-9, 215-pounder had a rough shooting night, missing five of six shots. However, he finished with six points, four rebounds, and a steal. Meanwhile, Walker gave the Sixers a huge lift, scoring 16 points while making 4 of 6 three-pointers before intermission. Walker made his first four threes.

The 6-7, 237-pounder cooled in the second half, scoring two points while missing two three-pointers. But his four three-pointers were a season high.

“He was shooting like he was in Camden,” Maxey said of Walker being a solid shooter at practice.

Maxey added, “I just want him to shoot it when he’s open. If he’s open, shoot it. That’s what he can do. he’s really good at that. Corner threes, wing threes. I think that would be a good shot for him.”