Tyrese Maxey Torched The Pacers In His First Career 50-Point Game

The Philadelphia 76ers came into Sunday evening’s game against the Indiana Pacers having won seven straight games, as Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have been nothing short of spectacular in the first three weeks of the season, clearly enjoying playing for Nick Nurse in a James Harden-less lineup.

That win streak was extended to eight games on Sunday behind another sensational effort from their stars, as Embiid scored 37 to go along with 13 rebounds and seven assists, while Maxey put up the first 50-point game of his young career. The Pacers had no answers on the defensive end, which has been a bit of an issue for them all season, as they couldn’t match Embiid’s physicality inside or Maxey’s pace on the perimeter. The Pacers did their best to keep up in an offensive shootout, but in the fourth quarter the Sixers stars proved too much for Indiana to keep pace, as Philly pulled away to a 137-126 win.

Maxey had it all working on Sunday night, as he had the Pacers defense completely off balance because of his ability to knock down outside shots if they backed off and drive into the paint to finish if they pressed up too high. In the fourth quarter he had 14 of his 50, as he was relentless in applying pressure to the Pacers defense and showed the incredible confidence he’s playing with right now with the way he let the three-ball fly off of stepbacks and self-creation.

Maxey put the finishing touches on a 50-ball with another stepback three, this time on the left wing, to ice the game and a career performance.

While the offensive effort will get the headlines, Maxey also authored the defensive play of the game with an incredible chasedown block of Buddy Hield on a dunk attempt that sent the Philly crowd into a frenzy.

Maxey finished the night with 50 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on 20-of-32 shooting (7-of-11 from three) and took just three free throws. It was truly a spectacular shot-making performance, and the way he has stepped into a starring role alongside Embiid has been incredible to watch this season. It’s impossible not to compare the way he’s playing and the way the Sixers keep ripping off wins to what James Harden is doing in L.A., where the Clippers have yet to win since trading for him and his on/off numbers are jarring. The Sixers have certainly gotten some help from Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington since arriving in the trade, but the biggest thing they did was clear the way for Maxey to be the star in the backcourt and so far he’s rewarding them with All-Star caliber play.