Sixers praise Tyrese Maxey for his takeover vs. Magic down the stretch

PHILADELPHIA -- Big-time players make big-time plays. That's what happened on Wednesday at the Xfinity Mobile Arena as Tyrese Maxey threw the Philadelphia 76ers on his back to ensure they would hold off the Orlando Magic.

After the Sixers built a double-digit lead, the Magic found a bit of a rhythm and pulled to within 87-86 on an Anthony Black 3-pointer with 7:56 to go. Maxey then ripped off seven straight points as he pushed Philadelphia's lead back up to eight and it kept the Magic at bay.

With Joel Embiid still sidelined as he works his way back from an appendectomy on April 9, Maxey had 31 points in a big moment for Philadelphia.

"That’s our franchise player doing what he does best," said Andre Drummond. "The game got tight, and his level of focus and his attention to detail raised and it showed in what he did out there."

It took Maxey a bit to get into the flow of the game as the Magic used their physicality and size to bother him to start the night, but just as he did in the season finale against the Milwaukee Bucks, he was able to shake off a slow start and produce at a high clip after halftime.

"I think he's been doing a bit of that lately," said coach Nick Nurse. "As far as understanding, we need kind of his greatness at the right time. Not as meaningful game the other night, but we looked really bad in the first half as a team, and he just came out and just decided to spark the team, and then everybody kind of got in the flow. So, it's kind of the same. I thought it wasn't easy. They were putting a lot of people in his way. So, I thought he was really patient with when he decided to get downhill, and the decisions he made late."

As the Sixers now move on to the playoffs to take on the Boston Celtics, there will be even more pressure on Maxey to get the job done and lead Philadelphia to a series win.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers praise Tyrese Maxey for his takeover vs. Magic down the stretch