February 02, 2024
Rob Gray/USA TODAY Sports
Tyrese Maxey was a dominant force in Utah in his first game back from injury -- on the same night he was named to his first NBA All-Star team.
In an eventful day for the Sixers -- one in which Joel Embiid was diagnosed with a meniscus injury and Tyrese Maxey was named an Eastern Conference All-Star -- the team took on the Utah Jazz in the final leg of their five-game road trip. The short-handed Sixers were able to fend off the young Jazz, winning 127-124. Here is what jumped out from this one:
• Maxey returned after a three-game absence due to an ankle sprain, and it is safe to say he was ready to go. Maxey scored the Sixers' first 10 points, all in about three minutes, ultimately scoring 18 points in the first quarter alone, all while attempting nine shots. Typically, Embiid dominates in the first quarter and Maxey takes over later on. But with the reigning MVP sidelined, Maxey took on the role of the early star. He was absolutely brilliant from the outset, the best he has looked since his 50-point showing back in early November.
• Tobias Harris was matched up with former All-Star Lauri Markkanen on both ends of the floor, and got the better of the matchup early on. Harris gives up a few inches of height against Markkanen, but has the considerable advantage as far as foot speed goes. He was able to break down Markkanen early with quick moves towards his preferred spots on the floor. Maxey and Harris combined to score all of the Sixers' first 26 points.
• With the Sixers missing not just Embiid, but also De'Anthony Melton, Nic Batum, Marcus Morris Sr. and Robert Covington, the team was without any sort of frontcourt depth. That meant some challenging assignments for spot-starter Danuel House Jr., who was excellent in the opening frame. House is not always able to bring his best, but when he does, he looks like a game-changer. He was outstanding on both ends of the floor early on in this one, helping the Sixers set the tone.
• Upon checking in, Maxey got right back to work in the second quarter, scoring eight quick points. Included among those points were two triples, which -- like most of the ones he hit in the first quarter -- came from far beyond the three-point line. Maxey has said throughout the season that Sixers assistant coach Rico Hines has gotten on him about launching from even deeper than he usually would. That advice combined with Maxey's excellent execution has added another dimension to his game -- and on this night in particular, it enabled Maxey to finish the first half with 32 points, the most Maxey has ever scored in one half in his NBA career.
• Sixers head coach Nick Nurse went small for the opening minutes of the second quarter, and Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy countered by using two bigs -- Kelly Olynyk and Walker Kessler -- who were able to capitalize on the Sixers' lack of depth in the frontcourt. There are oftentimes advantages to going small, but coaches must also inherit the risks that come with it, particularly on the glass, where the Sixers were manhandled for a brief period of this one.
• A Markkanen triple with 3:31 left in the first half trimmed the Sixers' lead to one point. But over the next 271 seconds, the Sixers outscored the Jazz 13-4, thanks to some shot-making and incredibly cohesive team defense. This was a huge stretch for the Sixers, as they were able to once again establish control of the game.
• Kelly Oubre Jr. has not shot the ball well from beyond the arc in recent weeks, though he has continued to play with the right mindset: attack the rim relentlessly and look to fill in the gaps. Oubre did a great job defensively in this one, particularly as an off-ball playmaker. When Oubre is locked in and fully engaged as a defender, he can be extremely disruptive. He deserves credit for continuing to come through on that end of the floor despite some offensive struggles.
• It was not just a hot start for Harris -- he sustained tremendous offense for most of this game, giving the Sixers plenty of timely buckets. Harris has been terrific of late, and the Sixers are going to need nights like this from him on a regular basis while Embiid is absent.
• The Sixers made an important run to end the third quarter as well. The run was spurred by Maxey, who scored the team's final nine points of the period, and by Jaden Springer, who repeatedly got key stops against former Sixth Man of the Year winner Jordan Clarkson. Aside from one bad foul on the last play of the quarter, it was a strong stint for Springer. Springer took his defense to another level against Clarkson early in the fourth, quickly frustrating the veteran scoring aficionado.
• Perhaps the only plus of Tuesday night's loss in Golden State was the play of Furkan Korkmaz, who scored 19 points. Korkmaz gave them a massive lift in that game, and in the fourth quarter of this one he hit an incredibly difficult three to beat the shot clock buzzer, and then went to his patented reverse jam in transition a moment later.
• Because Korkmaz was in a groove, Springer was dominating Clarkson and all of the Sixers' bigs were not playing well, Nurse went super small, going to Harris at the five with Oubre, Korkmaz, Springer and Maxey. It was a fascinating experiment that largely yielded positive results.
• Oubre was finally able to get going from beyond the arc in the fourth, knocking down back-to-back timely triples to keep the Sixers in front, and then hitting another key shot from beyond the arc later in the quarter. He entered this game shooting just 20 percent from beyond the arc on 3.6 attempts per game over his last 10 contests. Him giving the Sixers the kind of three-point shooting that they saw from him early in the season would change things for the team's offense.
• Close games often come down to shot-making. And down the stretch, it was the Jazz who were able to knock down the biggest shots, not the Sixers. And so, despite having the best player on the floor and controlling most of the game, the Sixers seemed primed for yet another tough loss. But the Sixers just kept pushing. Maxey hit yet another 30-footer to tie the game with a minute and change remaining. And then Patrick Beverley, quiet for most of the night as a scorer, took a corner three with a chance take the lead with 40 seconds left in the game. And... cash. After that came clutch free throws from Harris and Maxey. Ballgame.
