PHILADELPHIA — Tyrese Maxey made his first career postseason start for the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night, and boy, was he ready for the moment. For a variety of reasons, the Sixers entered the playoffs facing an avalanche of pressure, but the team — and Maxey specifically — looked oblivious, or immune, to it in their first game.
Over the course of the contest, Maxey consistently took advantage of a Toronto defense that was hyper-focused on Sixers stars Joel Embiid and James Harden, while playing with a poise that belied his age. In the process, Maxey, 21, made some Sixers franchise history and helped propel Philadelphia to a commanding 131-111 victory and an early 1-0 series lead.
Embiid used his physicality to frustrate Toronto’s frontcourt, and he finished with a solid 19-point, 15-rebound double-double. Harden joined Embiid in the double-double club with a 22-point, 14-assist performance, and Tobias Harris added 26 points and six assists for Philly, but the story in this one was Maxey. The entire arena was chanting his name by the time his 38-minute run came to an end, after all.
The second-year guard lit the Raptors up for 38 points — including 21 in the third quarter alone — while shooting 14-of-21 from the floor and five of eight from long range. He also added four rebounds and two assists for good measure.
With his production, Maxey became the youngest player in Sixers history to score 30-plus points in a playoff game. Additionally, his 21-point third quarter was the second-highest scoring playoff quarter for the Sixers over the last 25 seasons. Only Allen Iverson had more in a single quarter in that span.
Maxey’s full bag was on display in this game. He was able to use his speed to consistently beat his defenders off of the dribble, and with Toronto’s help defenders forced to focus so much of their attention on…
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