Six Thoughts: Maxey Leads 'Big Three' to Second Straight Win as Sixers Beat Mavericks

Tyrese Maxey went for 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid continued to stack strong play. The 'Big Three' earned its second consecutive win as the road show visited the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.

Here are six thoughts on the game.

Embiid is stacking the encouraging days

Two nights ago, it was Jaren Jackson Jr. who took the brunt of Embiid's second-half attack. There was no resting on the court for Embiid on Thursday, Dallas cycling in a rotation of Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford all night long. No matter, Embiid got to work early, ripping net on a trio of first-quarter jumpers before his first break of the game.

As the game progressed, Embiid found a comfort base in physicality and started applying his weight more toward the rim. He compiled a few trips to the foul line, muscling through contact or catching hopeless Mavericks stepping into space with their arms in the cookie drawer. Embiid is starting to feel so good that you find him testing the waters with his first step. Late in the second quarter, Embiid had Davis posted up by the block and pivoted into a face-up before blowing past the vaunted big for a layup.

His defense is starting to make strides too, just in the form of small steps at multiple facets. Embiid is beginning to step away from the rim, challenging himself to contest shots outside of the restricted area. But those moments are subtle.

What is less subtle is that Embiid is beginning to return to form as a playmaker at the rim. He doesn't get to every layup. There are fouls on some of the ones he does get to. But he's starting to rotate across the lane to spike shots into the crowd, even denying Flagg in this game.

One of the great developments that has come with Embiid rediscovering his form lately is that it means Tyrese Maxey is not getting run down with on-ball duties nearly as much. He's run a little bit hot and cold lately, perhaps because he's approaching more possessions off the catch rather than serving as the entire machine on offense. But that's OK. It's good for Maxey to have a couple possessions off while Embiid does the lifting. Maxey has earned that after the amount of work he did in 2025.

The Big Three hums

This was probably the best the trio of Embiid, Maxey and Paul Goerge have looked together since George signed two summers ago. The game against Boston on Christmas Day 2024 might be the only exception I can recall.

You can see the emotional equity building up within them, Embiid celebrating a George one-handed dunk and the veteran wing celebrating with his teammates during the ensuing timeout. But more important than that, they're starting to make some coherent music on the court.

The best example of that is Embiid looking George's way for a DHO, something he seemingly only trusts with his guard teammates. Out of the handoff, George created some pressure on the driving lane and then fed the ball back to Embiid, who had popped for a three.

Best of all, Philadelphia is becoming less predictable with its actions. The Iverson action is usually reserved for George to come sprinting off the picks and get a catch on the wing. In this game, it was Maxey who came off the cross screens to get the ball and then flow the possession into a two-man game with Embiid. They ran it three or four consecutive possessions in the first quarter, all with George on the court.

I suppose the best way to put it is that George's scoring output when all three guys are playing is commensorate with where he is in the pecking order if not with the size of his contract. His shooting has gone cold the last few games and there were touches in which he found himself in no man's land with Davis in his way, unsure of where to go. But George's scoring at the rim is better than it was a season ago. Whether he's on the court with the two other bigwigs or anchoring a lineup with only one of them, George is showing comfort in catching the ball on a swing pass and attacking off the dribble, using his legs and size to fight his way to the rim for some difficult baskets.

Quentin Grimes needed a heater

Oh, how the Sixers needed a Grimes heater. His shooting was monumental all night long. Grimes started his night with a corner three off a beautiful kickout from Embiid to cap an extended Sixers run. He then plugged one from the top of the key through a probable foul. The rhythm he found on offense led to some great engagement on defense. Grimes got called for a reach-in foul, but clearly got all ball trying to strip a Maverick in the paint. He blew up a pass and ran out for an unabated layup. He punctuated his night on the defensive side with a block of Davis at the rim. But it was his shooting that did the talking down the stretch. He buried a couple of deep threes late in this game to put it on ice, scoring 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Jared McCain should probably be in the danger zone of this rotation

It is extremely rough sledding for McCain right now. Teams with competent guard play are targeting him in actions, making him defend for himself. He's pressing on threes because nothing else is going well for him on offense. If there is a solution to breaking through this in the short term, it probably starts with him getting some run with the Delaware Blue Coats just to see some shots fall and find his shooting rhythm within the flow of a game setting. I don't think he's rushing his shot. But I do think he's probably putting some pressure on himself to perfect every shot, and that's not a healthy way to think about it.

Opponents are being careful around Maxey's defense

This was a sensational offensive night for Maxey. But that's becoming a nightly thing. Maxey's defense was spectacular, though. He's a threat to shoot the gap on a pass every possession, tipping the ball away and exploding ahead of the pack for a transition opportunity. He got back into a play in the fourth quarter to block a layup at the rim, stopping a would-be Dallas score as they tried to drum up some momentum as the clock ticked toward midnight on their chances.

Perhaps the most significant thing that happened on defense came when the Sixers went to a zone in the fourth quarter. Flagg was just about to pass to the closest teammate when he saw Maxey coming and immediately froze in his tracks. Because he remembered Maxey's knack for blowing up those plays, Flagg opted for a skip pass to the opposite wing instead, giving the Sixers enough time to recover to the ball and get a contest out to the new ball-handler.

That is defensive playmaking without even making a play. That is reputation. Incredible stuff out of a guard with the offensive workload that Maxey has.

Edgecombe's trek to the rim

After dazzling with his three-point shooting in the win over Memphis, Edgecombe only supplied three triples in Dallas. But his scoring at the rim was tremendous. His touch there has improved quite a bit in recent weeks, and he's managing to finish through contact like a star-level veteran. He went score for score with Cedric Coward on Tuesday, attacking his fellow rookie head on for an outrageous layup in the fourth quarter. Edgecombe glided to the cup in Dallas over and over again.

He punctuated a strong night by blocking the same shot twice on the same jump. One hand wasn't enough. He wanted to get both on the ball.