Paul George continues to show why Nick Nurse raves over his defense.
Jared McCain continues to round into shape.
Tyrese Maxey only trails Hall of Famers Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain when it comes to the highest point total through 20 games in franchise history.
And the Washington Wizards are tough to watch.
» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey’s big third quarter fuels Sixers’ 121-102 win vs. the Wizards
Those things stood out in the Sixers’ 121-102 victory over the Wizards on Tuesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
George’s defense
The Sixers (11-9) may face a tough decision if George continues to excel on defense. Once believed to be untradeable, the 6-foot-8 forward could be a nice addition for a contender looking for a solid defender. Or he could be a player the Sixers believe can continue to help Maxey.
While he’s not the player he was a few seasons ago, George can still hold his own depending on the matchup.
He had a tough time defending Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo a few weeks ago. And George may also struggle against some of the league’s quicker perimeter players. But aside from that, he hasn’t had a problem.
The nine-time All-Star had one steal to go with 11 points and five rebounds in just 17 minutes, 43 seconds against the Wizards. The 35-year-old was highly active on defense. He continued to show his physicality. That enabled him to blanket the players he guarded. He also crashed the defensive boards.
His most significant impact through six games has come on defense, where he’s averaging 1.8 steals. He tallied a season-high five steals in Sunday’s 142-134 double-overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
His shooting has been inconsistent. George has gotten off to solid starts in a couple of games, but has been unable to sustain them. And he has struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 35.3% on three-pointers during his first six games.
But he was in rhythm against the Wizards, making 3 of 5 three-pointers.
“It’s getting there,” he said about his shot. “I just got to get my legs under me, get a little bit stronger. I just feel like my legs aren’t as strong as they need to be. Just kind of get them under me a little bit. Kind of feeling training camp legs a little bit.”
» READ MORE: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George finally shared the floor. And the Sixers have a lot of work to do.
The biggest question about George is his durability. Prospective teams will have to ask themselves whether they are willing to trade for a player with George’s recent injury history.
McCain getting back to his old self
McCain has been playing with a solid pace in recent games. His pace and shot-making ability has shown why he was last season’s rookie-of-the-year front-runner before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
The combination guard averaged 16.7 points while shooting 47.4% on three-pointers during a three-game stretch against the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Brooklyn Nets. Then, after struggling Sunday vs. the Hawks, McCain bounced back against the Wizards.
The 21-year-old finished with 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting — including making two three-pointers — along with five assists in 25 minutes.
McCain scored seven of his points in the first quarter. As a solid distributor, he’s been a nice asset for the Sixers. He paces the game for them and fits well with George and Maxey. His weakness has been his defense, where opponents try to find matchups with him.
But McCain hasn’t shown any adverse effects from his surgically repaired left knee.
“I feel like I’m back to myself,” he said. “I think continuing those reps, the same stuff. But this game definitely felt good to get people off the dribble.
“I remember in the beginning when I first came back [Nov. 4 vs. the Chicago Bulls], I was like, ‘Dang, am I ever going to get this burst back at all?’ But just trusting the process, and now I’m here.”
Maxey’s latest milestone
After scoring a game-high 35 points, Maxey now has 649 points through 20 games. That ranks third behind Iverson (681 in 2005-06) and Chamberlain (661 in 1965-66).
“Obviously, that’s awesome considering the names you mentioned and the other names that have been here, like the history, the storied history of this program,” coach Nick Nurse said. “It’s amazing to get in those kinds of conversations. I think that whenever I start thinking, ‘Geez is he going to be able to continue to do that?’ He just goes out and makes six or seven possessions like, ‘I’m going to do whatever I want here.’”
Maxey has been torching opponents on drives to the baskets, on floaters, and behind the three-point line.
“And he’s just moving himself all over the court and getting himself clearance to shoot,” Nurse said. “And then I keep saying, ‘He should shoot more.’”
Maxey’s 35 points came on 13-for-26 shooting in just 28:49. He also finished with six assists, four rebounds, and four steals while being a plus-23.
He scored 20 of his points in the third quarter on 7-for-13 shooting, including the Sixers’ final 14 points in the quarter before sitting out the fourth.
“Yeah, that stretch alone, he put the game away,” George said of the Sixers taking a 101-77 lead into the fourth. “He just had his imprint over it. From steal, getting out, creating offense for himself, creating offense for us, big shots. And you can see that he was just in a rhythm and a flow, and he took over.”
Maxey wanted to be aggressive during that stretch.
“Give us a comfortable lead where we could be professional and finish that game out,” he said.
Maxey is third in the league in scoring at 32.5 points per game. This was his 11th game with at least 30 points.
The 6-2 guard is tied for the second-most made three-pointers (75) and is seventh in assists at 7.5 per game.
Wizards great at tanking
It’s hard to believe the Sixers needed overtime to defeat the Wizards, 139-134, on Oct. 28 at the Capital One Arena.
On Tuesday, Washington was hard to watch.
Washington (3-17) shot 39.8% from the field, including 9-for-36 from three-point range, and committed 15 turnovers, which led to 28 Sixers points.
Wizards fans will point to Alex Sarr (right adductor strain), Corey Kispert (right thumb distal phalanx fracture), Tre Johnson (left hip flexor strain), Khris Middleton (right knee injury management), and Sharife Cooper (right calf strain) all missing Tuesday’s game.
» READ MORE: The Sixers’ season has 2024-25 vibes with Joel Embiid and Paul George missing substantial time
But the Sixers were without Joel Embiid (right knee injury recovery), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee sprain), Trendon Watford (left adductor strain), and Quentin Grimes (right calf soreness).
Andre Drummond (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Jabari Walker (10 points, 12 rebounds) finished with double-doubles in a game that was all but over in the third quarter.
Up 26 entering the fourth, the Sixers were able to rest George and Maxey for the entire quarter. Dominick Barlow only logged 1:39 during that quarter.
