Tyrese Maxey isn’t the best player in the NBA, but he just might be the toughest.
Maxey looks to build off a career-high performance when his Philadelphia 76ers host the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon.
In Thursday’s 123-114 overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Maxey scored a career-high 54 points while also collecting nine assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Perhaps most impressively, he did it on the second half of a back-to-back, playing 47 minutes on the road one night after logging 39 in a home loss to the Toronto Raptors.
“I don’t really care (about the minutes),” said Maxey, who is averaging a league-high 40.7 minutes per game. “I just want to win. If I have to play however much I have to play to win, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Not only is Maxey enjoying the best season of his six-year career (averaging 33.4 points per game), but he’s earning the praise of everyone he encounters on the court.
“That’s what (Maxey) does,” teammate Quentin Grimes said. “(He) came out on fire every single quarter, carried it into overtime and carried us to a win.”
“Man, (Maxey’s) special,” Sixers forward Paul George said. “He’s special, he’s gifted.”
George has only played in two games this season as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. But his second game was much better than his first, as he scored the team’s first 11 points against Milwaukee and finished with 21.
Things are going smoothly for the Heat, as well, as they have won three games in a row entering Sunday’s matinee.
Most recently, Miami trounced Chicago 143-107 on Friday behind Kel’el Ware’s 20-point, 14-rebound performance. He is averaging a double-double (11.5 points, 10.3 rebounds) and has pulled down double-digit boards in seven straight contests.
Ware had plenty of help, as all five starters scored at least 16 points and three reserves also reached double figures. In fact, the Heat finished with 143 points — one of the highest totals in franchise history — without a single player scoring more than 20.
“It shows you we’ve got guys that go in there, stay ready, and make an impact on the game,” Ware said of the Heat’s depth.
Miami enjoyed its explosive performance despite a relatively quiet night from Bam Adebayo (18 points on 4-of-11 shooting).
Norman Powell, who scored 19 points in 25 minutes, strained his groin and sat out the closing stretch of the game. His status will be monitored moving forward.
“I just felt it on that last layup I had in the first half and wanted to get it checked and make sure that there was nothing more serious than that,” Powell said. “We wrapped it up, did a little test and I’m always going to try to fight through pain and injuries. … I know the team needs me out there and I’m just glad it’s nothing too serious.”
This is the first of three matchups this season between the Heat and Sixers, although the teams will not meet again until Feb. 26. Miami won all four meetings with Philadelphia a season ago.
