Jan 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ricky Council IV (14) is fouled while driving for a shot by Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith (17) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Tyrese Maxey diced the Los Angeles Lakers for 43 points to power the Sixers to their third straight victory.
Here's what I saw.
- Without saying anything about the second half, the last two-and-a-half games have been signs of a burgeoning leap for Tyrese Maxey. He may not be ready - now or ever - as a lead playmaker, but his ability to commandeer an offense for an extended period isn't as much a question of ability as it is of whether shots are falling. As you'll see below, it was an excruciatingly slow start for Philadelphia. But, as soon as Maxey saw a few fall, it was his show.
He kept the ball on a string, careful not to pick up his dribble in no man's land. Maxey kept the Lakers guessing, dipping into his full arsenal to score. He dropped threes off the dribble, found creases and exploded to the rim, trusted his midrange game if he saw the big lifting or couldn't create the edge against his man.
One of the most mature things you can do as a guard, especially one on a team that is not winning at a high clip, is stay aware off of the ball. Even when the Lakers threw their zone look at Philadelphia, Maxey was attentive without the basketball. The Sixers pulled out one of my favorite plays - Blind Pig - to capitalize:
Blind Pig pic.twitter.com/xKiozr96Tr
— Austin Krell’s Sixers Film Room (@AKFilmRoom76) January 29, 2025
He got to the line for nine free throws in the first half, a telltale sign Maxey was getting into the paint and changing his speeds with ease.
- More praise coming Nurse's way, for those who are set on their takes already. He deserves a helluva lot of credit for the way his team has executed against zone defense lately. Ever since that practice following the road loss to the Nuggets, they've been a far more competent team scoring against zone. When the Lakers went zone in the second quarter, Philadelphia was composed and prepared. They looked as confident as could be, a far cry from where things were about a week ago. The Sixers were remarkably connected, anticipating rotations to different spots on the floor in tandem with well-timed cuts. If they didn't get a bounce pass toward the rim, they got fouled. Philadelphia executed seamlessly. As a byproduct of the healthy offense, the Sixers were defending in transition far less than they usually are. Funny how that works.
- Team-wide credit on this one - the Sixers went full belt to ass and did not let up at any point. The Lakers inevitably went on their mini runs here and there, but the Sixers never lost sight of how they built their lead in this game. It was as thorough a defensive effort as they've put forth all season, and they preyed on every piece of bait the Lakers tossed in the water. Los Angeles kept trying to loft passes over the top to Lakers with inside positioning on their defenders. Philadelphia was all over it, fighting like hell to deflect the pass or junk up the connection to cause an open-floor turnover if the pass made it all the way to its target.
- Quick golf clap for Adem Bona. That dude hustles is butt off. And every time he hits the floor, he bounces up as quickly as he fell.
- I understand the talent deficit at which Philadelphia is operating in this matchup, but there's no excuse for the Sixers effectively punting on any thought of creativity. By the time of the first timeout of the game, the Sixers trailed, 12-5. They were flirting with a pace of one point per minute. They were 2-for-9 from the floor. It was hideous, and it was because they basically said "Here, Tyrese, do what you want".
There was no attempt at relieving the pressure on his shoulders by setting him up off the ball. There was nothing in the playbook to make the Lakers sweat a little on defense. If the Sixers weren't rolling out their predictable dribble weave, they were setting single ball screens for Maxey. Nada.
If you're going to make him do so much work on the ball, set up some staggered screens so that he can get creative on his own and shed the defender chasing through the screens.
- As has been written in this space recently, the Sixers have a significant transition defense problem. It starts with looking in the mirror, and I thought they did a much better job of that in the wins over Cleveland and Chicago. But, one of the other problems mentioned is that they have times during which they simply fall asleep, unprepared to get back on defense even on makes or stoppages in play.
There were examples of that lack of focus early in this game, the Sixers not paying attention as LeBron James of all people quietly set himself up to be available deep in Philadelphia territory for hit-ahead passes out of dead balls.
There were also many possessions in which Eric Gordon got cross-matched onto James. We need not explain why that is a very unfavorable matchup in isolation. But, the other problem is that James is going to feel those matchups out because he sees them as opportunities to spit the ball around the floor. So, putting Gordon on him and having the four other defenders prepare to help is stepping right into the trap. If you're going to put Gordon on James, you're probably better off just keeping the other four guys on their home assignments and effectively saying, "Here, damn".
- The halftime show legitimately could've caused hearing loss. If people went to the concourse just to protect their auditory health, I do not blame them.
The Sixers (18-27) will host the Sacramento Kings (24-22) on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
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