BROOKLYN, NY — The Philadelphia 76ers improved to 3-0 in their first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets. Securing this victory was the furthest thing from easy despite multiple advantages in Philly's favor. The Sixers gutted through an absolutely unhinged game to win in Barclays Center with Tyrese Maxey providing a steadying presence.
In Game 2, Maxey bailed out Harden not having a productive game and Embiid having a so-so game for his standards. This time, he bailed out the Sixers not having Harden for the fourth quarter due to a highly controversial Flagrant 2 foul and Embiid straight up having a tough one. He finished with 25 points on 10-17 shooting, filling in for Philly's floor general after his disqualification and scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter.
“Just kind of sometimes how the game flows,” Maxey said. “We try to get the ball to Joel on the elbow a little bit, let them trap so we get easier shots. They did a good job of just being extremely physical, pushing him out. And then the way the ball was rotating out the traps, that was probably the reason why I didn't shoot as much.
“But down the stretch, knew because James was out, I'd have the ball in my hand,” the Sixers guard added. “So once you have the ball in your hands, you kind of dictate where the ball goes. So trying to get it to Joel [and] if I can't get it to Joel, trying to get in the paint make a play for somebody else or myself. ”
Maxey made history with his sensational shooting and put the Sixers on the brink of advancing to the next round of the 2023 NBA playoffs. He also made several key defensive plays down the stretch of Game 3, knocking Brooklyn off its flow and allowing Philly to shake off some poor stretches of play.
“I knew this is gonna be a hard game — we talked about it. We got up pretty good, convincingly, but we relaxed. You can't do that. And Coach Doc and P.J. Tucker was on us big time about it just because they knew we relaxed and we kind of gave in,” Maxey said. “They had to give us their best shot and they did. But for us to rally even after everything with the James situation. I don't know how much we end up going down. But to rally back and win the game, it was big time.”
The Sixers have the chance to end the series Saturday afternoon.
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