When the Sixers created the big three of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, they had a vision that looked something like the team’s Saturday night win over the Hornets, Tony Jones writes for The Athletic.
The three players combined for 81 points, 26 rebounds, and nine made threes in the victory, and George had possibly his best game as a Sixer. Beyond the counting stats, Jones writes that what stood out was the way the skillsets of the three stars complement each other.
Most importantly, Jones notes, this was a rare example of the trio shining together in a high-stakes game. Philadelphia is battling for playoff positioning, and this win gave them the season tie-breaker over Charlotte, in addition to the tie-breaker it holds over Toronto and Orlando.
With the Sixers just a half-game behind the Hawks and Raptors for the last spot outside the play-in, any of those advantages could turn out to be massively important.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Jaylen Brown is out for Sunday’s game against the Hornets on Sunday with left Achilles tendinitis, per the Celtics (via Twitter). Derrick White, who was listed as questionable with a right knee contusion, has also been downgraded to out (Twitter link). In their place, Jordan Walsh and Payton Pritchard will start alongside Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum, and Neemias Queta, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe notes (via Twitter).
- Maxey was able to return to the Sixers quicker than anticipated from the tendon injury in his finger that was supposed to sideline him for three weeks, thanks in large part to his diligence in his rehab, Gina Mizell writes for the Inquirer. “I’ve been working my tail off,” Maxey said. “And I want to be there for my team, so I was there.” Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes that the team knew the importance of the game in terms of standings, which prompted Maxey to push himself to play his best ball, despite the lengthy absence. “I let the game come to me at the beginning,” said Maxey. “Everybody was like, ‘Dude, all right. We know you just got back. Come on, let’s play.’ And I was like, ‘I got you.‘”
- Charles Bassey has only played two games for the Celtics coming into Sunday’s action, but he already feels comfortable with the organization, Noa Dalzell writes for CelticsBlog. “When the coach says, ‘Okay, there’s optional stuff, but you don’t [have to] come in’, everybody still shows up,” Bassey said. “That just helps the team grow, and helps build connection with the team. Guys are just coming in ready to work every day, regardless if it’s optional — you got to show up. They’re always in the gym, they’re always in the practice facility, so they put in the work. Me coming in and seeing that, it’s fun.” Bassey added that playing Summer League with Boston helped familiarize him with the teammates and coaching staff, which has allowed for a smoother transition than might have occurred otherwise.