At no point in the budding career of Tyrese Maxey has he been more consistent, and proof of that came on Saturday night when Maxey scored a game high 31 points in a 109-97 win over the Chicago Bulls. It was Philadelphia's second straight victory, and Maxey's tenth consecutive game with at least 25 points.
Throughout his power rankings, writer Law Murray revisits each team's preseason win total over/under figures and compares them to the team's current trajectory near the midway point of the regular season. It is jarring to recall the Sixers' win total being placed at 50.5.
Joel Embiid, a 7-time All-Star, has played in only 13 games on the season due to a variety of ailments and is averaging 24.4 points and 7.9 rebounds along with 3.8 assists per night. The latest All-Star voting reveals Maxey No. 6 in Eastern Conference backcourt voting while Embiid is No. 9 in frontcourt voting.
Team governor Josh Harris sat down with The Athletic and gave his thoughts on Embiid as the Sixers move forward:
The Philadelphia 76ers played without their All-Star trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night
The Sixers had even fewer bodies by the end of their Saturday night contest against the Bulls than they did when they entered The Windy City.
Chicago comes into a matchup against Philadelphia as losers of four home games in a row. Saturday's meeting is the first of the season between the teams.
Tyrese Maxey had a big night with 31 points and nine assists to lead Philadelphia, Kelly Oubre Jr. had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and George had nine points before leaving with the injury. Reggie Jackson had 12 off the bench, Eric Gordon had 13, and Adem Bona had four and seven rebounds.
Tyrese Maxey admitted that this season has not been fun. The 76ers star is still trying to focus on staying positive.
Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George will not return in the matchup with the Chicago Bulls due to a finger issue.