INDIANAPOLIS -- For three quarters on Wednesday, Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey just looked lost. He had 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting, only shot one free throw, and was a minus-12 as he couldn't figure out a stout Indiana Pacers defense.
However, that all changed in the fourth when Maxey exploded for 17 points on 4-for-8 shooting and was 7-for-8 from the line as the Sixers rallied to beat the Pacers 114-109. He looked like a completely different player on the floor and he was able to have the type of success the Sixers need him to have in order to win basketball games.
Maxey revealed afterward that Jaylen Brown was one of the voices in his ear to push him forward and get going. It's important for the Sixers to have that type of chemistry
between the stars as Brown just kept it simple with him.
"Just how you start, doesn't have to be how you finish," Brown said of Maxey. "Motivated him to keep going, despite the foul, offensive, whatever that's distracting us right now. It shouldn't stop us from getting the win. Maxey turned it around in that fourth quarter and led us to a win."
To Brown's point, Maxey had a slow start, but it wasn't how he had to finish the game. The 2-time All-Star had a tough time finding any looks against the Pacers, and former teammate Kelly Oubre Jr., as he committed a few offensive fouls and had a tough time getting to the line. That all changed in the fourth.
"I think just sheer determination," added coach Nick Nurse. "I don't think he was having much of a game. He was getting knocked around a lot, he shot one free throw, I think. He just kind of caught fire. Obviously, he got down the lane and got one to go, and I think that got him going."
Nurse acknowledged the defensive work the Pacers put in to bother Maxey. With that being said, it was impressive to see him break through and really throw the Sixers on his back in order to finish the job.
"He didn't get many good looks until the fourth," Nurse continued. "He just didn't have many. They were really picking him up and they were really physical. They were really putting two on him a lot in screen and rolls and everything. So, it was good to see him stay with it. It's not that easy sometimes, and you can sometimes say, 'this isn't my night', but he hung in there, and he obviously hit some big shots down the stretch."
As Philadelphia continues to grow, it needs to clean up its mistakes. Obviously, the talent is there to make up for any slow starts. The Sixers have shown a lot through the first handful of games to start the season, but they can't rely on that. Maxey played good basketball in the final frame to get the win for Philadelphia.
"Just playing clean basketball," added Joel Embiid on Maxey. "As a team, everybody, I think, in the third quarter, I mean, everything, every lane, like it was just so crowded. We didn't have the right spacing in the fourth quarter. We did a better job of getting to our spot, setting screens, making sure whoever had the ball had some space to offer it, and he was able to take advantage of that."
The Sixers will face the New York Knicks on Friday in the NBA Cup opener.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Jaylen Brown, 76ers praise Tyrese Maxey for big 4th quarter vs. Pacers
