Tyrese Maxey Saves 76ers From Disaster With Incredible Fourth Quarter Against Pacers

Just when you think the Philadelphia 76ers have put it all together, they prove that they still have more to figure out.

Wednesday night, the 76ers traveled to Gainbridge Arena to face the Indiana Pacers, and it was an offensive clinic. In a game that saw the Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton, it seemed as though the 76ers would finally showcase what all the talent on this roster could do, and through the first half, they did.

Through the first quarter it was a back-and-forth effort between the two of the fastest-paced teams in the league. Neither team was willing to give way to the other as they traded basket after basket. The quarter ended with it all tied up 25-25. The second quarter is where the 76ers began to show their prowess as they started to get in a rhythm as a team.

The 76ers were locked in defensively as they held the Pacers to 39 percent shooting from the field and capped their three-point shooting with a horrific 6 for 20 in the first half. This allowed for the 76ers to do what they do best, get out and run. Philadelphia used ball movement and effective jumpshots to push their lead up to seven as the half came to close. Just as the buzzer was going to sound, VJ Edgecombe pulled off a half-court heave that found the bottom of the net and pushed their lead to 10. 

Now in the second half, one would expect the team to continue their trend of domination, and yet that didn’t happen. Instead, the 76ers allowed the Pacers to go on a 17-0 run to open the quarter, which allowed the Pacers to get back in the game and take the lead. No one on the 76ers could buy a shot. Tyrese Maxey was struggling, as he only had ten points through three quarters. 

Meanwhile, the 76ers were flustered by the Pacers' change of pace, something they do to their opponents. Only this time, they were on the receiving end and had a hard time fighting back. The 76ers were outscored 36-13 in a quarter that they have owned through the first four games and now trailed by 13 points.

The fourth quarter saw the emergence of Maxey’s shooting ability. Maxey went on a rampage and put the team on his back as he scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter.  The team scratched and clawed their way back with the help of Edgecombe’s defensive effort and a 24-6 run that was started by an Anfernee Simon three.  Simon finished the game with 20 points off the bench, and the 76ers completed their third comeback victory of the season.

LeBron James finished with 14 points and ten assists, while both Jaylen Brown and Embiid scored at least 20 points.