How Tyrese Maxey Answered Sixers' Playoff Call

On Thursday, the Philadelphia 76ers extended their lead over the Brooklyn Nets to 3-0 in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

Despite coming out on top, game three proved to be the biggest challenge for the Sixers, as the Nets progressively started to become stronger and stronger over the course of the series.

Perhaps Jacque Vaughn's biggest move so far in the series has been to double-team Joel Embiid, who is Philadelphia's go-to scoring option, at the three-point line, making it difficult for him to drive inside.

Pair this with the shakiness of James Harden in Game 2 and then a controversial ejection in Game 3, Doc Rivers has had to look elsewhere to find the offensive power required to win.

That's where Tyrese Maxey comes in, as the 25-year-old has done more than enough to pick up the slack left by Philadelphia's other two scorers.

Aside from a messy performance in the opening game of the first round, Maxey has averaged 29 points in games two and three, consistently pulling the Sixers out of trouble when needed.

A large part of this can be attributed to a lethal three-point shot, which the 25-year-old has made 14 times with 54 percent accuracy, thanks to the Nets' defense leaving him open from beyond the arc.

This isn't to say that Maxey hasn't been scoring the rim-running goals that he has become known for, regardless of how the points roll in, he gets them when they're needed most.

All of this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as this is how the third-year-guard made his name in Philadelphia, picking up the slack left by Ben Simmons in the 2021-22 season in only his second year in the league, averaging 18 points on 49 percent shooting.

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

For live updates on the Philadelphia 76ers, follow @All76ersFN on Twitter!