Tyrese Maxey, Philly pick Mavericks’ blitzes apart

THE Philadelphia 76ers scored another victory without Joel Embiid by defeating the Dallas Mavericks. They played a solid game until the final minutes, where they held their lead for dear life. But they held on and win his second consecutive match.

Tyrese Maxey recorded 24 points on 8-15 shots. His scoring and gravity opened things up for the Sixers and Tobias Harris took advantage, scoring 28 points on 11-19 shooting. Kelly Oubre Jr. (21 points on 7-17 shooting) was crucial and Kyle Lowry and Nico Batum, despite their respective shots of 1-9 and 2-8, were brilliant throughout the match. Luka Doncic stuffed the stat sheet – he often does – with 38 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and seven turnovers while Kyrie Irving scored 28 points.

The Sixers showed significant improvement against blitzes and were very attentive on defense, forcing Dallas into turnovers left and right. Let’s move on to the movie.

Double? No difficulty

In the first few games, while it was clear that Maxey was going to be the 76ers’ top option for a while, the team as a whole showed immense struggles against blitzes. Maxey didn’t get the ball out quickly and part of that was because he barely had anyone to pass it to. The players he had to pass to weren’t always the ones who could make the quick decisions needed to look good in seconds or less.

At first, the Mavs only put one player on Maxey. They would pass if it was a reliable defender (like PJ Washington), but would sit back if it was either a not-so-good perimeter defender (like Doncic or Tim Hardaway Jr.) or from a center (like Derek Lively II). ). This allowed Maxey to go down the slope with relative ease, passing by his defender after screens and ghost screens froze his defender for a split second.

This single cover was not enough at all. Maxey scored 17 points in the first quarter and the Sixers led by 10 at the end of the period.

After missing part of the second half after hitting his head on Derrick Jones Jr.’s leg, the Mavs showed Maxey no mercy. When the blitzes started coming, the 76ers realized they needed to get the roller to be someone who could read the floor or score himself. A third-quarter possession in which Mo Bamba caught the short pass that ended with a missed layup (although he also fouled the offensive board) is an example of this.

Batum proved to be the ideal man for the job. One of the Sixers’ many problems in how they handled blitzes was that Maxey’s controller was rarely someone who could make plays on the move. As Batum showed by hitting Paul Reed along the baseline, it’s light work for him.

Doncic tries to quarterback the defense by telling Jones to stay low and watch the big man along the back line. But he is occupied by Oubre, whose great sense of movement off the ball is ticking. It makes it easier for Batum to feed him the ball towards the wing, as opposed to a harder pass into the corner. Amid the confusion, Batum served it to Reed.

Maxey did a better job of getting the ball out, which gave Batum a better lead. Right after hitting Reed, the Mavs pinched their defense to take him away. But what they couldn’t cover was a wide-open Oubre in the corner.

The 76ers also reversed the short throw process, with Batum being the screener but also the recipient of the second pass and the scorer. Oubre opens up away from the ball again with all eyes on Maxey, who throws him a pass on the baseline. Batum rises for the jumper after sliding the screen.

With Batum being able to dribble off a shot, he is an ideal short roller. Using typical screens like Bamba or Reed means trusting someone with less than ideal handles. Using a shield means the shield may not be as effective since it’s a smaller person. Batum is the best of both worlds in addition to being one of Philadelphia’s smart passers and having a high shot.

The Mavs launching a double to Maxey helped the 76ers get a crucial bucket late in the game. Clean, timeless ball movement around the perimeter forced a tough closeout that Harris narrowly avoided. He dribbled a touch of the paint, draining the push shot. Since Lowry’s pass is very lively, Washington has nothing to do but try to push the ball away from behind.

There are perhaps no more important facets of offensive execution for the Sixers without Emibid than what they do against blitz defenses. Maxey has repeatedly proven that few defenders can stay with him one-on-one, so he is forced to face a lot of double teams. Having answers to this question will be very helpful.

IQ never decreases with age

It’s at least a little concerning that the 76ers are relying so much on Batum and Lowry, ages 35 and 37, respectively, to play so many minutes and organize the team. Veterans who have exceeded their limits take on many responsibilities.

However, for all the concerns about their bodies’ ability to resist, there are none regarding their abilities and intelligence. It’s very reassuring to know that both guys can still impact the game in a variety of ways. Batum led Philly with 11 rebounds and Lowry led the team with seven assists. None of them committed a turnover in more than 30 minutes of play each. Few pairs of players can pull 3-17 combos and still be extremely useful.

One of the reasons Lowry is such an impressive playmaker is because he never gives away his plans. His passes are precise and never telegraphed, making it much more difficult for defenders to react. Perhaps his best assist was his lob to Bamba, which he threw before Bamba even had a foot in the paint. Unlocking Bamba’s vertical spacing is something the 76ers should look at more, especially because they have Lowry’s ability to make accurate passes when no one is expecting them.

Although he isn’t visible as much in this game, Lowry also helps Maxey look off-ball. His play will go a long way in turning the wheels of the 76ers.

On defense, Batum snagged three interceptions. His quick hands knocked the ball away and he even read Doncic perfectly on one possession. He knows that once Doncic takes the low man away from the corner shooter, the ball goes straight there. Bamba challenging Doncic has him moving away from the shot and making the pass late and to a spot where Batum is relaxing.

Lowry has been vigilant so far with the 76ers, going up against bigger and slower players. While this is partly due to his reduced quickness, it also puts him in better positions to help in practice. He is always very strong and quick to push the ball away, because he did it once against Doncic. On this Josh Green drive, Lowry knew he would be in a great spot to help since he was guarding/roaming off of Daniel Gafford.

The 76ers are asking a lot of Batum and Lowry, perhaps more than any other team asks of a duo with a combined age of 70 or older. But that’s because they can deliver.