Tyrese Maxey Lebron James Sixers Lakers

Tyrese Maxey drops 43, Sixers handle Lakers without Embiid and George

Tyrese Maxey put on a show Tuesday night, torching the LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for 43 points as the short-handed Sixers rolled to a 118-104 win in South Philly.

\With Joel Embiid and Paul George both out of the lineup, Maxey stepped up in a big way, reminding everyone that when he’s locked in, the Sixers are dangerous no matter who’s available.

Side Note: If Philly got this Tyrese Maxey earlier in the season, we’d be talking about a completely different team right now but it is what it is at this point.

The Hunted: Bronny James

This game was close early, but once JJ Redick got the bright idea to put Bronny James on the floor, Maxey locked in and made him a target.

The Sixers ran a “hunt” offense for a solid stretch in the second quarter, putting Bronny in pick-and-rolls and forcing switches that let Maxey cook him over and over again.

Layups, floaters, mid-range fades—you name it, Tyrese Maxey hit it.

And then the Lakers got some bad news: Anthony Davis left the game with an abdominal strain. Once he was out, the paint turned into a Sixers’ playground. Philly dropped 48 points in the second quarter—which feels borderline impossible given their current roster situation.

Tyrese Maxey finished the half with 27-points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. It was a relentless attack where he was able to dictate every possession on his terms.

Even when the Lakers closed space, he let it fly from deep, nailing stepbacks that forced defenders into an impossible task of slowing him down. By the time the third quarter started, it was cruise control.

Tyrese Maxey: 43 PTS | 9-9 FT | 2 STL

Shoutout Yabu, Justin Edwards, and the vet, Eric Gordon

Tyrese Maxey was obviously the headliner, but the supporting cast did their jobs.

Guerschon Yabusele brought that same scrappy, relentless energy, bullying his way into double-digit points and finishing with some nice footwork in the post.

Eric Gordon continues to be a much-needed floor spacer, drilling deep threes—including one where LeBron just stared at him and dared him to shoot. Big mistake.

Justin Edwards looks like a diamond in the rough

And let’s talk about Justin Edwards—the Philly kid making his first national TV start. His assignment? Guard LeBron and AD. No pressure!

Edwards held his own, and even had a cold-blooded off-the-dribble three in LeBron’s face before swiping an entry pass on the next possession. He’s still adjusting to the speed of the game, but he competes, and that alone will keep him in the mix.

Meanwhile, Adem Bona was fearless. If you’re a 6’10” rookie big man, what better way to introduce yourself than by blocking LeBron James multiple times? Bona did exactly that, rejecting The King at the rim on at least three different occasions. He might be young, but he does not back down.

Trade Deadline Statement

With the NBA trade deadline looming, Maxey is still the guy making the case that the Sixers should still be focused on the playoffs and are buyers, not sellers.

There are a lot of questions about what the Sixers should do and honestly, it doesn’t seem like the front office is willing to answer much of anything right now so we’ll just have to wait and see how that shakes out over the next few weeks.

The Sixers aren’t at full strength and still handled a Lakers squad with LeBron James (who finished with a quiet 21 points) and Anthony Davis (before he left the game).

If Philly gets Embiid and George back with a few tweaks at the deadline, this team can make noise in the East. For now, though, let’s just enjoy the fact that Maxey cooked the Lakers, the role players stepped up, and Philly got the job done.

Lakers fans in the building? Silent. Sixers fans? Loving every second of it.

Run It Back: Jimmy Butler linked to 76ers in swap for Paul George and Ben Simmons won’t shut up about Philly – Complete The Process

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