Three observations after McCain and Maxey lead Sixers to victory with electric shotmaking originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers finally have a non-overtime win under their belt.
Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey starred Friday night as the Sixers earned a 113-98 victory over the Nets at Wells Fargo Center.
The Sixers improved to 3-12 and the Nets fell to 6-10. In East Group A of the NBA Cup, both the Sixers and Brooklyn are 1-2.
McCain was incredible again, recording a seventh consecutive 20-point game. He scored 30 and Maxey had 26 on 11-for-17 shooting.
Nets forward Cam Johnson scored 37 points and shot 9 for 13 from three-point range.
The Sixers were backed by Joel Embiid (left knee swelling), Paul George (left knee contusion) and Kyle Lowry (right hip strain).
They host the Clippers on Sunday evening. Here are observations on the team’s win over Brooklyn:
Sixers turn to Yabusele in center
Guerschon Yabusele was coming off a 5-for-6 night from three-point range in a loss to the Grizzlies on Wednesday and started at center. He started the night with former Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons, who was predictably booed at every touch. The crowd reacted gleefully when Simmons missed a wide-open layup in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Yabusele kept the sweet jumpers flowing, draining two early threes.
Kelly Oubre Jr. returned to the Sixers’ starting lineup after three straight games on the second unit. He skied high to punch in a Yabusele miss and give the Sixers a 13-4 lead.
The Sixers used a 10-man rotation and pitted Andre Drummond against Nets big man Nic Claxton.
Drummond was good in his first stint, looking for rebounds and hindering the Nets with his physical presence. One of Drummond’s three offensive rebounds led to a Reggie Jackson corner kick. An alley-oop from Jared McCain to Drummond extended the Sixers’ lead to 44-33.
Turnovers and free throws crucial
In his second game since returning from a right hamstring injury, Maxey played 26 minutes. He had a much, much better night than his 3-for-13 game in Memphis.
McCain was the last Sixers starter to make a field goal. Late in the first quarter, he sank back-to-back threes.
McCain remained very sharp in terms of moving the ball quickly, spotting open teammates and moving smartly into fruitful spots.
Turnovers and free throws were the Sixers’ two biggest statistical advantages early on. They had a 15-7 halftime lead in points off turnovers and took the first 14 foul shots of the game. Johnson torched them all night, but at least the Sixers did well to avoid giving up easy, momentum-stopping points at the foul line.
Still, the Sixers allowed a 12-2 Brooklyn run to end the first half. Johnson’s fifth 3-pointer cut the Nets’ deficit to 53-50.
Maxey and McCain deliver time and time again
The trend of terrible third quarters for the Sixers seemed to continue on Friday. With threes from Cam Thomas and Dorian Finney-Smith, Brooklyn built a 64-55 lead.
However, Maxey and the Sixers pushed back. The All-Star guard celebrated demonstratively after a hoop that put his team back on top.
The Sixers fell behind again early in the fourth quarter, partly due to a series of missed Eric Gordon jumpers, but the McCain-Maxey duo then took the spotlight with electric shots.
McCain delivered a smooth lefty layup and a pure pull-up three. Maxey often hurt the Nets in transition, nailing a tightly contested step back three and seizing complete control of the game. An automatic-seeming catch-and-shoot three from McCain served as the dagger.
The Sixers suddenly had plenty to smile about on Friday thanks to their two talented young guards.
