BBNBA: T-Wolves lose third straight and happy birthday Tyrese Maxey!

After helping secure a Sixers victory over the surging Bulls, Tyrese Maxey celebrates his 21st birthday today as most of the other ‘Cats found themselves on the losing side of the NBA scoreboard last night. Come read about it.

we're celebrating to the max! HBD @TyreseMaxey! pic.twitter.com/CxExUcXqGO
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 4, 2021

Tyrese Maxey scores 14, turns 21

So far in the 2021-22 season, Joel Embiid and many other stars across the league have seen their scoring production plummet — and the league as a whole is scoring about six points less per game per team. In wake of a struggling Embiid, Philly has had secondary pieces like Tyrese Maxey stepping up from a year ago.

He’s far from a perfect NBA point guard but he’s putting the ball in the basket and surviving in Doc Rivers’ defensive system. The now-alcohol-legal Maxey hit half of his 10 shots to score 14 — right on the nose of his season average through eight games.

Happy 21st, ‘Rese!

👋 Steal → Bucket 🏀 pic.twitter.com/s2Fzy7dPUU
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 4, 2021

Timberwolves drop third straight after 3-1 start

It’s me, the fool who believed in the Minnesota Timberwolves. And still does!

Last week they advanced to 3-1 on the young NBA season with a statement victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, giving fans reason to believe. But since, they’ve lost three in a row, including a loss to the Orlando Magic where they led by 11 in the third quarter and wound up losing by nearly 20. Pitiful!

I’m not jumping off the bandwagon yet though. Even in last night’s loss to the Clippers, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards combined for 46 points and kept the game close as Paul George and Reggie Jackson seemingly didn’t miss a shot in the second half.

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Still, a frustrating string of outcomes nonetheless for T-Wolves supporters.

De’Aaron Fox finishes with 19 & 5 in win over Pelicans

As I mentioned with Joel Embiid, stars across the NBA are seeing their numbers dip for a variety of reasons (fewer fouls, lower three-point percentages, slower tempo, etc.) and De’Aaron Fox is no exception. After posting career highs across the board in 2021, he’s posting notably lower numbers.

But who cares as long as the team wins more than it did last season. Plus, he’s getting a lot more out of his supporting cast. Lost splash brother Harrison Barnes has emerged, averaging 23 points and shooting 47% from three on seven attempts per game. Sacramento is also getting contributions from its young guards, Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell. And lest we forget sharpshooter Buddy Hield or Richaun Holmes, who John Hollinger believes should garner All-Star attention.

Last night the Kings beat up on the 1-8 Pelicans to advance to 4-4 as Fox had a fairly efficient night that ended in 19 points and five assists. Who knows if this Kings team is different than the losers of the past, but at least they’re interesting.