Tyrese Maxey Addresses Illness After Sixers-Knicks Game 2

Tyrese Maxey was questionable for the Philadelphia 76ers' loss against the Knicks.

Apr 20, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) looks to drive past / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Hours before the Philadelphia 76ers took on the New York Knicks in Game 2, Tyrese Maxey was added to the injury report. The All-Star guard ended up being a game-time decision as he was dealing with an illness.

Maxey was absent from shootaround Monday morning but arrived at the arena later in the day to go through his pre-game routine. In the end, he did end up taking the court for the Sixers as they attempted to even their first-round series at one apiece.

Despite almost not playing because of this illness, Maxey ended up having a strong outing in Game 2. He played the most minutes of anyone on the Sixers (44), and finished with a team-high 35 points to go along with nine rebounds and 10 assists.

This near triple-double outing from Maxey wasn’t enough as the Sixers were unable to come away with a win. Thanks to some late-game heroics from Donte DiVincenzo, New York was able to steal a victory and take a 2-0 lead in the series.

After the game, Maxey was asked about taking the floor while battling illness. He understood how important this game was and wasn’t planning on missing it for anything.

“I took medicine, IV, I did whatever they asked me to do,” Maxey said postgame. “I wasn’t missing the game. I don’t feel great but it is what it is.”

Heading into the playoffs, the Sixers were expected to rely heavily on Maxey. Similar to all season, he has stepped up to answer the call in a big way. Through the first two games of the playoffs, Maxey is averaging 34.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 7.0 APG.

Luckily for Maxey, he has some added time to recover before playing again. Game 3 is slated to take place Thursday night in Philadelphia.