Jan 25, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) defends Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) during the first quarter at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Tyrese Maxey dropped 31 points to power the Sixers past the Chicago Bulls to sweep a weekend back-to-back.
Here's what I saw.
- No one could've been sure of what to expect from Paul George on the second night of a back-to-back, but his start to the game was quite encouraging. He was able to create space for himself on a step-back baseline jumper and later blew by Lonzo Ball for a baseline drive and reverse layup.
It's a process over results thing in these eyes. He was sharp off the dribble. His legs were clearly healthy. He clearly felt good. And while the rest of the Sixers struggled to turn the engine on early in the first quarter, George briefly carried the load.
- The Sixers found a way to establish Maxey after George's hot start, letting him get rhythm jumpers with his body squared to the rim. They got great utility out of wide pin-downs, Maxey sprinting through staggered screens to catch passes and rip it from deep.
Those actions are what can excuse Nick Nurse from the blame for this season if it continues to spiral. All he can do is knit some creativity into the offense so that the Sixers can go to looks beyond the milquetoast dribble weave action that they adore so much.
It made the Bulls work to try to keep Maxey accounted for, and they couldn't get to him in time. He drained a fistful of threes in the first half, setting up a dominant two quarters ahead of intermission. Once he saw a few threes fall, he took control of the game for Philadelphia. I've been pleased with his progression at changing speeds lately, and he continued to play those strings in the first half. He kept his dribble alive out of screens, jamming on the breaks for a second before mashing the gas. Maxey kept Chicago guessing throughout the first 24 minutes of the game.
- I continue to be very impressed by Adem Bona's progression. He's getting better with each game, and he bailed the Sixers out when Guerschon Yabusele picked up his third foul in the first half. The rebounding was strong. The jumps for block attempts were well-timed. But, a pass to Reggie Jackson in the first half blew me away.
Bona screened for Maxey, sending two Bulls to the ball. Maxey strung them out before hitting Bona for a short roll pass in the paint. Bona read Chicago's defensive setup, leading to the conclusion that a teammate had to be open in the corner. Without looking Jackson's way beforehand and risking a white jersey retreating to the shooter in the corner, Bona jumped toward the basket so as to invite Chicago to commit to him and simultaneously threw a rocket to Jackson in the corner mid jump. It was a beautiful display of playmaking from the rookie.
On some level, it's a commentary on what teams ask of role-playing bigs these days. Most of the league's star power lies in the hands of guards and wings. So, if the goal is to let your star(s) heat up to the point that defenses need to put two on the ball, that means the ball movement has to start with the screener. So, there's a good reason teams love them some bigs who can see the floor and make passes on the move.
- Kelly Oubre Jr.'s decision-making in the open floor blows my mind, but I owe him some credit for his finishing through contact in the paint lately. He was a huge factor in the Sixers grinding one out against Cleveland on Friday night, and he injected juice into the Sixers' offense at the start of the fourth quarter when George wasn't available and Maxey was on the bench.
- Oubre looked off two teammates in favor of his own layup in transition and smoked it. This is the second time that's happened this week. The next time it happens, Nurse should do the equivalent of what Billy Beane did in Moneyball and launch a chair onto the floor.
- George left the game in the second quarter with a left pinky injury and did not return. Something to keep tabs on, of course.
- A fan sitting a few rows back of the court got Maxey's attention and obviously irritated him a bit. I'm not a lip-reader, but Maxey clearly said "That's not cool" as coaches and teammates hustled over to separate him from the situation. I will applaud the fan, you have to be a next-level jackass to piss Maxey off. Whatever he said, it was bad enough for fans sitting court side to point him out to Maxey. The coward was rightfully thrown out of the game.
The Sixers (17-27) will host the Los Angeles Lakers (24-18) on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Eastern time. You can catch the game on TNT.
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