It was once again the Tyrese Maxey show as the Sixers continued their Western Conference road trip in a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.
While Matisse Thybulle returned tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers were still without their star Joel Embiid. Despite this, the team did still put up an impressive fight against the explosive tandem that is Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
Maxey Is Ready for the Big-Time
Game after game, Tyrese Maxey has proven that he is ready for an expanded role. Tonight was a perfect example as the young guard scored 28 points along with eight assists. His ability to finish has always been unquestioned, but his improvement as a shooter, defender, and facilitator has put Maxey in a position to compete for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.
This burst we’ve seen from Maxey this season signals that he’s ready to not just be a starter but be a star for this Sixers team. Regardless of a potential Ben Simmons return or even a Ben Simmons trade, Tyrese Maxey must have a heavily involved role on this team, especially offensively, going forward.
Korkmaz’s Struggles Continue
As impressive as tonight’s game was for Tyrese Maxey, it was equally rough for Sixers’ sniper Furkan Korkmaz. The sharpshooting wing known as “Turkish Delight” was anything but a delight on the court tonight as he continued his cold streak shooting 0-4 on the night.
This is not uncharted territory for Korkmaz, as he has seen a few cold spells in his time in Philadelphia. It’s important to remember that while he does suffer from occasional games like tonight’s, he’s also more than capable of changing the tides of the game, especially in the clutch moments of the game.
For a time, Korkmaz was one of the leaders in the league in points scored in the fourth quarter. Hopefully, he can find some semblance of that Korkmaz and help this team right the ship going forward.
Next Game Up
The Philadelphia 76ers continue their road trip as they will next head to Sacramento for a “get-right game” against De’Aaron Fox and the Kings. Sacramento is coming off of a rough loss themselves, their seventh loss in their last eight games. The Sixers must strike now if they’re going to have a somewhat respectable road trip (currently 1-4).
You can catch the game Monday at 10:00 PM EST and watch it on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Or, if you prefer, you can listen live as always at 97:5 FM The Fanatic.
