Tyrese Maxey described a game shaped by pressure defense, limited rhythm, and missed chances after the Philadelphia 76ers fell 108-94 to the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday night in Philadelphia.
“They just put two on the ball,” Maxey said. “Every ball screen, every Brunson action, they put two on the ball and I felt like I made the right play.”
The Knicks’ aggressive coverages forced quicker decisions from the Sixers’ lead guard, who emphasized his role as a passer when trapped. “I passed the ball when I was supposed to, shot when I was supposed to,” he said. “If I see two, it’s multiple times where I’m dribbling around the bigs and the big just keeps coming and stays with me the entire time. So I pass the ball and I think that’s right.”
New York’s defensive structure, particularly in high ball-screen actions, consistently removed Maxey’s scoring lanes and shifted pressure onto secondary creators. He still produced efficiently despite the attention.
“I shot the ball well. I shot eight for twelve and I had seven assists. So I think I did a decent job.”
Mikal Bridges was repeatedly mentioned as a primary defender in the matchup, but Maxey pointed back to the team-wide scheme rather than individual battles. “I think Mikal is a great defender. I think he’s really good at what he does,” he said. “I also think when you’re up on every screen and you put two on the ball every single time, my job is to get rid of it.”
The Sixers guard also addressed offensive execution during key stretches when Philadelphia closed gaps but failed to capitalize. “We just got to keep playing together, keep playing the right way, and hopefully it’ll benefit us and we’ll make some shots,” Maxey said.
Turnovers became a recurring issue in momentum swings, especially in the third quarter when Philadelphia briefly cut into the deficit. “Mindset wise is just try to get one game at a time,” he said. “One possession at a time, one play at a time.”
He also acknowledged the impact of missed opportunities and offensive rebounding gaps that helped New York extend possessions. “We got to make some of these shots too,” Maxey said. “And we got to limit the offensive rebounds a little bit. They had thirteen.”
The loss put Philadelphia in a 3-0 series deficit, but Maxey described the approach as straightforward heading into Game 4 on Sunday. “We wanted to win three in a row, now we got to win four in a row,” he said. “Either you don’t play with any pride and you get swept on your home floor… or you play with some pride and you win one game at a time.”
Joel Embiid returned and scored 18 points, while Paul George struggled after a strong start, but Maxey kept the focus on collective execution rather than individual production.
“Yeah, he was solid. He did what Joel does and he played hard,” Maxey said when asked about Embiid.
As the series shifts to Game 4, Philadelphia’s urgency is clear, and Maxey’s message centered on correction rather than collapse. “We just got to keep playing together,” he repeated. “Keep playing the right way.”
