Tyrese Maxey’s historic night against Milwaukee arrived when the Sixers needed it most

MILWAUKEE — Tyrese Maxey recovered from a rough performance against the Toronto Raptors to kick the Milwaukee Bucks in the teeth.

Now, now. That wasn’t so hard, was it?

In turning a hostile Fiserv Forum into his personal playground, the 76ers star erased memories of fourth-quarter shortcomings to post a historic performance in a 123-114 overtime victory over the Bucks.

Maxey finished with a career-high 54 points along with nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, three blocks, and five turnovers in 46 minutes, 38 seconds.

» READ MORE: Sixers takeaways: Tyrese Maxey makes history, Paul George brings stability and more from win over Bucks

He joins Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (March 18, 1968) as the only two players in franchise history to produce at least 50 points and nine assists in a single game.

Against the Bucks, Maxey made 18 of 30 field goals and went 12-for-14 from the foul line. Sixteen of his points came in the fourth quarter on 5-for-7 shooting. He added six points in overtime one night after failing to score any fourth-quarter points in a 121-112 home loss to the Raptors.

Maxey finished that contest with game highs of 24 points and nine assists. He made 8 of 14 shots, but only attempted one — a missed three-pointer — in the fourth quarter.

“Certainly a big difference,” coach Nick Nurse said. “And again, it’s a variety. I keep thinking, it’s obviously a great amount of threes [six] because he’s such a good shooter. [He had] a few drives all the way, a few floaters, playing on top, playing along the baseline, you know, just moving him around and trying not to make it too predictable.”

One thing that no one could have predicted was Maxey making a career-high seven layups with his left hand. It was the most made layups by an NBA player with their nonshooting hand in a game this season.

But on second thought, maybe folks shouldn’t be surprised.

“I work hard, and I don’t shoot shots that I don’t work on, if that makes sense,” Maxey said. “I don’t just try stuff. Every shot that I shoot is a shot that I worked on before. So I have confidence in it.”

He and the Sixers (9-6) know it’s just a matter of remaining aggressive.

The sixth-year player was second in the league in scoring at 33.4 points per game entering Friday’s matchups. He also led the league in made three-pointers (61) and was seventh in assists (7.9). In addition, he was fourth in the NBA in fourth-quarter points (8.9) for players who’ve played at least four games. Maxey also averaged 5.8 shot attempts in the quarter. So to attempt just one against the Raptors is out of character.

And his 14 total field goals were well below his average of 23.4 per game.

“Joel [Embiid] definitely got on me as soon as I got in the locker room,” Maxey said. “He pulled out the stat sheet, showed me the 14 shots, and said, ‘This ain’t going to cut it.’ And Joel is normally right.”

So Maxey responded by tying Hall of Famer Allen Iverson for the ninth-most points in a game in franchise history. Iverson scored 54 points twice as a Sixer.

» READ MORE: Sixers mailbag: Paul George and Joel Embiid’s trade value, need for backup point guard, and more

“He’s special. He’s special,” Paul George said of Maxey. ”Man, he’s gifted. I think what you guys don’t see and what stands out is after the game on a back-to-back, 50 [points], 45-plus minutes, he goes and lifts.”

George thinks that speaks volumes to who Maxey is and where he is in his career. George, a nine-time All-Star, has played alongside Hall of Famers, future Hall of Famers, and borderline Hall of Famers.

“And that’s what they do,” George said. “They do the stuff like that that keeps them going, keeping them strong, and always working on themselves. Therefore, you always see his production on the floor. He puts the work in. And you know, it’s special. He’s a talent.”

And George realized that even before signing with the Sixers on July 6, 2024.

He saw how Maxey excelled while playing alongside former Sixer James Harden. Then he watched how the guard had more added to his plate after Harden was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2023-24 season. Maxey responded by becoming an All-Star and the league’s Most Improved Player that season.

“I noticed it early on,” George said. “Just watching him, man, he’s got better. I think it’s his mindset. It’s his mentality. And like I said, he works on his game tirelessly. So all of that adds up, and he’s just a great leader. He’s young, but he’s a great leader. And he’s the total package.”

» READ MORE: How good is Tyrese Maxey? He’s now in a class with Sixers great Allen Iverson and other NBA elites.

Justin Edwards agrees, and he’s also not surprised by his career night.

“That’s nice,” Edwards said. “Eighteen for 30. That was really nice, 54-ball. But that’s something I expect from Reese, honestly.

“Just his work ethic [and] the time he puts into basketball, the basketball gods reward him.”