Philadelphia 76ers star point guard Tyrese Maxey did not play in Friday's 115-105 win versus the Indiana Pacers because of illness, but he is still making sure to support his teammates. The 25-year-old speedster was especially impressed by what he was seeing from center Joel Embiid, who dug deep into his bag of tricks near the end of the first half.
The 2022-23 MVP drained a step-back 3-pointer in the final seconds of the second quarter, sending the Sixers into the locker room with a 63-58 lead. Embiid did far more than just produce one memorable highlight, however. He totaled 39 points on 12-of-23 shooting to go with nine rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes. Maxey was loving every minute of this superb showing.
“GOOD PROCESS!!” he posted on X. The 2020 first-round draft pick knows how much physical pain the veteran big man has endured over the last few years and is thrilled to see him dominate the low-post and knock down threes. This marks just the 10th game of the season that Embiid has played in, but he continues to exhibit bursts of his old self. If Embiid can maintain his vintage form for weeks at a time, Philadelphia will start to look like a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.
The two-time scoring leader and seven-time All-Star was averaging 18.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from downtown. Those numbers will go up after his big night against the Pacers. Although Joel Embiid is an integral part of the team's plans, the 76ers are trusting Tyrese Maxey to assume the “top guy” role for now.
Ideally, fans will get to see both of these game-changers on the court together for Sunday's road matchup versus the Atlanta Hawks.
