76ers’ hard-working Tyrese Maxey joins exclusive fraternity with 54-point, nine-assist performance

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey arguably is the NBA’s hardest-working player this season.

His heavy workload sure isn’t hindering his production so far.

Maxey already was averaging an NBA-leading 40.3 minutes per game this season before he had a career-high 54 points and nine assists over 46 ½ minutes in a 1 23-114 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Maxey and Wilt Chamberlain are the only 76ers to have at least 50 points and nine assists in a game.

“Blessed,” Maxey said. “I thank God for it. Any time you’re in a conversation with Wilt, who scored 100 points, you can’t complain.”

Maxey’s remarkable performance came one night after he played 39 minutes in a 121-112 loss to the Toronto Raptors. The 76ers have leaned on Maxey even more heavily because injuries have limited the availability of 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and six-time All-NBA wing Paul George.

Embiid missed a sixth straight game Thursday due to a knee issue. George made his season debut Monday after missing Philadelphia’s first 12 games while recovering from offseason surgery on his left knee.

Philadelphia (9-6) is above .500 thanks largely to Maxey, who is averaging 33.4 points to rank second in the league, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic (34.6).

“He’s special,” George said. “He’s gifted. I think what you guys don’t see and what stands out is after the game, on a back-to-back, 50, 45-plus minutes, he goes and lifts. That just speaks volumes to who he is, why he’s where he’s at. I’ve been around a lot of great guys in this league. That’s what they do. They do the stuff like that keeps them going, keeps them strong, always working on themselves.”

Maxey earned his first All-Star Game appearance in 2023-24 but played just 52 games in 2024-25 as his season ended in early March due to an injured finger on his right hand. He made the most of his time off and says he watched film every day in the offseason.

He returned with a tenacity that’s been evident the last couple nights.

There was no guarantee Maxey would even play Thursday. He was listed as probable after bruising his right quadriceps against Toronto. He woke up, got treatment and decided he’d play as long as he could run effectively.

Then he wanted to make amends for his performance in that Raptors game. Although he scored 24 points, he took only 14 shots.

“I definitely was not as aggressive as I should have been,” Maxey said. “I got hit in the head and I also got hit in the quad, so it was a little tough for me.”

His teammates and coaches told him afterward he needed to shoot more than that. He responded Thursday by going 18 of 30 overall, 6 of 15 from 3-point range and 12 of 14 on free-throw attempts. His two free throws with seven seconds left in the fourth quarter forced overtime.

After resting for just over half of the second quarter, Maxey never left the game after halftime.

“We usually have a little discussion there to start the fourth,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “He didn’t want to have the discussion tonight. He wanted to stay in.”

Maxey said the Bucks’ decision to play a zone defense for much of the second half helped him keep his energy level relatively high.

“I didn’t have to move too much or work too hard to score or get the ball on offense, so I think I didn’t feel tired just because of that,” Maxey said. “The zone slowed the game down and kind of took stress off the body. I was like, ‘Listen, I’m good. If you want me to stay, I can stay.’ He let me stay, so I finished the game.”

Maxey is ready to stay on the floor as long as he needs each and every game, even if that means leading the league in minutes.

“I don’t really care,” Maxey said. “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.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA