BBNBA: 76ers sent packing as Tyrese Maxey struggles to get going offensively

The first round of the NBA Playoffs has been electric, to say the least. Whether it’s Jamal Murray making clutch shot after clutch shot or Cason Wallace making series-winning plays on defense, the ‘Cats have been balling out this postseason.

That was no different on Thursday as the Philadelphia 76ers were tasked with defending home court against the up-and-coming rival Knicks. Being down 3-2 in the series, Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers had their backs against the wall. Unfortunately for them, they came up just short, losing 118-115 in Game 6, thus ending their season.

Philly relied on Joel Embiid to carry the load, and he isn’t even at 100% right now. Normally, Maxey is able to contribute in big ways, but that wasn’t necessarily the case on Thursday. In 43 minutes of action, the former SEC All-Freshman put up 17 points on just 6-18 (1-6 3PT) shooting from the field. While the point total is okay, the inefficiency wasn’t.

Everyone has an off day, unfortunately. But Maxey balled out this season as a first-time All-Star and the league’s Most Improved Player. Big things are ahead for the 23-year-old.

Joel Embiid on Tyrese Maxey: “You’ve got a young superstar coming in and face of the franchise for his whole career in Philly. He has a chance to do something special next year again. I hope he becomes All-NBA this year. I think he can be in stuff like MVP conversations.” pic.twitter.com/c8mXLj1z1Y

— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) May 3, 2024

Other BBNBA notes

• The second game of the night featured the 3-seed Milwaukee Bucks and the 6-seed Indiana Pacers. Although Milwaukee brought Damian Lillard back into the lineup, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo remained on the sidelines. Entering Thursday night down 3-2 in the series, it was win-or-go-home for the Bucks. And while he only contributed four points and four rebounds, Isaiah Jackson‘s Pacers were able to dominate the Bucks, winning Game 6 by a score of 120-98 of advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

5/2/24 Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	118-115 L vs NYK	17	6-18 (1-6)	5	5	2	0	1	-4	43
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	120-98 W vs MIL	4	1-1 (0-0)	4	0	0	0	0	2	10
Chris Livingston (MIL)	120-98 L @ IND	2	1-1 (0-0)	0	0	0	0	0	-2	3
Julius Randle (NYK)	118-115 W @ PHI	DNP – Shoulder	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Tonight in the NBA Playoffs