76ers Star Gives Honest Thoughts on Blowout Loss vs Bulls

Tyrese Maxey addressed the 76ers' blowout loss against the Bulls on Monday.

Feb 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) controls the ball during the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Returning from the NBA All-Star break, Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers were eyeing a push for a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. The Chicago Bulls were the team standing in their way.

A win against the Brooklyn Nets over the weekend could’ve placed the Sixers less than one game behind the Bulls for the final Play-In spot. Then, a victory against the Bulls would’ve allowed the Sixers to move past them in the standings.

Nothing went right for Philadelphia. The Nets hit a game-winning tip-in at the buzzer to defeat the Sixers, sending them to the 12th seed. The Bulls demolished the Sixers in South Philly, leading to arguably the most embarrassing loss of the year.

“From the beginning—the first quarter, honestly—we couldn’t defend the ball,” Tyrese Maxey told reporters after Monday’s game. “They were getting easy layups and easy shots. They were walking into buckets.”

Through the first half, the Bulls made over half of their shots from the field. They had a 75-58 lead through the first two quarters. A 21-point deficit in the first half was already a tough spot to be in for the Sixers, and matters only got worse in the second half.

“The game got away from us,” Maxey added. “It’s hard to come back from that. Every time I lace my shoes up, I lace my shoes up to win. That’s just how I feel. I’m never gonna lace my shoes up and expect to lose. That’s not how I’m wired. That’s not how I play basketball. That’s not how I live my life.”

final. @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/CPCLa2lSVY
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 25, 2025

The largest lead of the night for the Bulls was 50 points. The Sixers took on a 142-110 loss to drop to 20-37 on the season. Not only do they continue falling from a Play-In position, but they still face a lot of uncertainty surrounding the health of core players such as Joel Embiid.

For Maxey, he plans to keep competing no matter what.

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