Maxey sets new career-high to lead Sixers past Bucks in overtime

Philadelphia — Nick Nurse spent two seasons preaching to Tyrese Maxey that he was good enough to up the aggression.

How ever many shots he was comfortable taking, it wasn't enough.

And yet, all Nurse could do was shrug and accept that Maxey's first quarter against the Toronto Raptors was about as aggressive as it gets.

He played 9:48 in the first quarter on Wednesday. Maxey hoisted seven shots. He took five threes. It appeared as though he was on the quick track to a special night.

Maxey took seven shots the rest of the game. The Sixers lost by nine despite staging yet another big comeback in the fourth quarter.

"He was doing it all at the start of the game.I don't think that's near enough shot attempts for him tonight," Nurse said after Wednesday's loss.

The late double-teams challenged Maxey. The congestion in the paint stunted his audacity off the dribble.

Philadelphia let the game get away with another disastrous third quarter.

The shooting on the first night of a back-to-back did not fail the Sixers. It was how they clawed back into the game.

"We didn't quite find some of those kick-outs until late, like in the fourth, and you remember some of the ones where he sees the double and he's zipping it over to the nearest high-slot guy and that guy was banging some threes," Nurse explained.

That's simply the correct read when a big team throws two at the ball.

Nurse knows his team is going to see some quirky defensive coverages as long as Maxey continues his march into the MVP conversation this season.

The only solution is to make the right plays.

Was it possible that the Sixers wouldn't even have Maxey — or would have a compromised version of him — against the sorely banged up Milwaukee Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back on Thursday?

He popped up on the 2:30 p.m., Eastern time, injury report as 'probable' with a right quad contusion.

It felt like more of a note that he was a little banged up, himself, than an ominous sign of what the night had in store.

Maxey was ruled in at game time. It turned out he was more than game to go.

After playing 38:30 on Wednesday, Maxey logged 46:38 on Thursday.

He scored 24 points on 14 shots on Wednesday. 24 hours later, he put up 54 points on 30 shots.

Nine assists against three turnovers on Wednesday, nine assists against five turnovers on Thursday.

Maxey saved his best for last. Not just for the game's final quarter and overtime. He saved his best for the entire second game of the back-to-back.

How good has Maxey become?

Good enough that the Bucks used a 2-3 zone as a primary defensive scheme instead of a junk defensive scheme after Maxey carried Philadelphia to a 13-point first-quarter lead, scoring 12 points in 12 minutes.

Milwaukee sported Myles Turner and Bobby Portis inside. The zone kept the Sixers on the perimeter. It kept Maxey contained and seeing two bodies every time he caught the ball above the break.

Philadelphia got great looks. Many of them came from Maxey's hands.

The game wasn't decided by halftime because the Sixers shot just 9-for-26 from three in the first 24 minutes. The shots were there. They will always be there against a zone defense. Philadelphia just wasn't cashing in.

The Sixers lost the second quarter by 15 points, devolving the double-digit lead to a two-point deficit at the break.

In his walk-off interview with Kate Scott and Alaa Abdelnaby, Maxey said he told Nurse he was going to play the entire third quarter on Thursday to give the team a good chance of keeping the boat steady at a time when the water has notoriously been roughest for Philadelphia. 

"I'm just going to try to figure it out and try to help us as much as possible," Maxey said.

On the second night of a back-to-back, he played the entire third quarter and was responsible for 20 of his team's 22 points in the frame. He stabilized the game, giving the Sixers a chance to earn a road win with a good final quarter.

He wasn't done there. Maxey played every second of the game's 29 minutes after halftime. That included a 16-point fourth quarter.

He wasn't the only one who had anything going on the Sixers' side. Paul George scored 21 points in about 25 minutes of action, including the Sixers' first 11 points of the game.

While his production was constrained by his minute restriction, it was clearly the best George has looked and felt in his time with the franchise. He was explosive out of the dribble and strong against contact. He had his legs under him on his jumper. He kept drivers in front and his hands were disciplined on reach-ins. 

George looked like the clear second best player in a Sixers uniform. It was as encouraging a development as you'll find in the game.

But when his allotment of minutes ran empty, it was Maxey essentially on an island.

It did not matter. He did not care. He would not be denied a victory. 

Any ordinary player would've had dead legs in the late stages of the game. Maxey knocked down a 27-footer off the catch in the first minute of the fourth quarter. He put in a 31-footer after creating separation from Portis on a crossover for a step-back. For his final act from the perimeter, Maxey relocated to the strong-side corner as Justin Edwards drove left, getting his feet set out of a run just in time to splash a corner three with two Bucks approaching.

Maxey's dynamic skill set hasn't just leapt in one category. It's transformed him into an entirely different player than the one we thought we knew.

His perimeter game is more diverse. He's a lethal shooter off the dribble and off the catch. Maxey is driving into defenders' chests instead of away from the contact. His shots at the hoop have spin, but they also hang in the air for less time. His ability to finish at difficult angles has improved.

Most important of all?

He has by far the highest assist rate and the highest usage of his career. Maxey is also recording by far the highest free throw rate of his career.

It all makes for a transformation. He was a star. Now he's a superstar.

He was a top-5 guard in the Eastern Conference. Now he's arguably the second best player in the conference.

Maxey was a top-30 player in the NBA. Now he's a top-10 player.

And for the first time in his career, at least for the time being, he's doing it all while driving winning.