PHILADEPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers got their first crack at the Miami Heat for the first time since losing to them in last year's postseason. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey combined for an efficient 50 points but it wasn't enough for the Sixers to overcome Jimmy Butler and the Heat.
Perhaps the lone positive takeaway from the Sixers' 101-99 loss to the Heat was that Maxey had a great performance off the bench. After a mostly quiet first half, he exploded for 14 points in the third quarter. He finished with 23 points on 8-16 shooting in 27 minutes, providing a scoring spark that brought Philly back into it after a horrible first half.
After the Sixers' loss on Saturday, Embiid said that he had a conversation with Maxey as he struggled to find his footing. He implored the youngster to play more aggressively and freely and told him that the team won't reach its potential without him being his best self. That boost of confidence worked wonders.
“When the best player in the world — probably — when he believes in you and you believe in yourself, you’re good against the world, I think,” Tyrese Maxey said. “He's instilled faith in me and instilled belief in me and confidence in me to where I can go out there and play freely. So, I appreciate him for that.”
Maxey said that Embiid has been on him about what he has to do. He said that the Sixers superstar told him he has to “flip the switch” when he comes into the game. Embiid knows that it's hard, Maxey explained, but stressed that the team needs him.
When asked if Maxey responding positively to the pep talk will implore him to be even more on him, Embiid said that he'll take it by ear and give Maxey the amount of motivation he needs at each given time. “He knows he's got a job to do. He knows what he has to do,” Embiid said. “I'm just happy. I just want him, like I said, I just want him to believe in himself.”
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