76ers vs. Pacers: Takeaways From Tyrese Maxey's Career Night

Takeaways from Sixers' eighth-straight win

Following their comeback victory over the Detroit Pistons Friday, the Philadelphia 76ers were back on their home floor looking for their eighth-straight win. Next up on the schedule for them was Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers. 

The Sixers had a big lead early, but Indiana managed to make things interesting in the second half. However, their late surge would not be enough to take down the Sixers. Thanks to a career night for Tyrese Maxey, they were able to come away with a 137-126 victory. Here are some takeaways from the matchup. 

Bringing the energy 

Going against a young team like the Pacers, the Sixers were going to need to bring a lot of energy if they wanted to keep up. They delivered on both ends of the floor, including dominating the game in one key area. 

Team defense is something Nick Nurse has praised a lot over the past week. It was on display again Sunday as the whole team played their part in slowing down Indiana's high-powered offense. Their ability to contain the Pacers' transition attack was a major catalyst in jumping out to a big first-half lead. 

On the offensive end, the Sixers created a plethora of second-chance opportunities by attacking the glass. They ended the night with an impressive 20 offensive rebounds compared to just seven for the Pacers. 

Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid continue to play like a top 5 duo in the NBA

With James Harden out of the mix, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have been tasked with leading the charge for the Sixers. From opening night, the pair have thrived well together under new head coach Nick Nurse. 

Embiid and Maxey have been playing like a top-five duo in the league, and Sunday was a statement performance. The biggest story of the night was Maxey erupting for a career-high 50 points on 62.5% shooting. Embiid also left his mark on this matchup, posting a stat line of 37 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. 

As the pillars of the Sixers' offense, everything runs through Embiid and Maxey. They continue to not only have individual success but also success playing with each other. With each passing matchup, their two-man game becomes harder and harder to defend. 

Nic Batum does it all in starting role 

Following the horrific news regarding Kelly Oubre Jr. Saturday, Nick Nurse had to make a change to his starting lineup. In place of the injured forward, he named Nic Batum as the team's fifth starter. 

Similar to how he's done since arriving in Philly, Batum did well in his first game with the starting unit. He did a little bit of everything in the win over Indiana. Batum played 33 minutes and finished with a box score of nine points, seven rebounds, one steal, and three blocks. On top of that, he connected on 60% of his three-point attempts. 

With there being no exact timetable for Oubre's return, Batum put together an impressive audition to remain with the starters moving forward.