PHI 105, IND 94: Tyrese Maxey Headlines With 50 ESPN FP
Hiro Tanaka
Physical Therapy Assistant ยท Los Angeles Lakers fan
76ers Survive Injury Crisis, Maxey Goes Full Bucket Mode to End Pacers
The Philadelphia 76ers rolled into Indiana without their two best creators and still found a way to steal a 105-94 win. Let's be clear, this wasn't pretty basketball, but it was the kind of ugly W that fantasy managers need to respect.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrese Maxey | 50.0 | 54.1 | 32/8/5 | 28.4/4.2/6.7 | +3.6 |
| VJ Edgecombe | 45.0 | 43.3 | 16/9/5 | 16.1/5.6/4.1 | -0.1 |
| Kelly Oubre Jr. | 43.0 | 39.9 | 15/7/1 | 14.2/5.0/1.6 | +0.8 |
| Jay Huff | 37.0 | 36.0 | 8/10/2 | 9.5/4.0/1.5 | -1.5 |
| Andre Drummond | 30.0 | 33.7 | 10/16/1 | 6.3/8.4/1.2 | +3.7 |
| Paul George | 33.0 | 32.0 | 21/5/2 | 17.5/5.3/3.6 | +3.5 |
| Quenton Jackson | 30.0 | 30.8 | 16/4/6 | 8.9/2.4/2.8 | +7.1 |
| Micah Potter | 28.0 | 28.0 | 13/10/0 | 9.6/4.8/1.5 | +3.4 |
| Ethan Thompson | 26.0 | 27.3 | 15/4/3 | 6.6/2.1/1.6 | +8.4 |
| Jarace Walker | 29.0 | 26.8 | 17/4/2 | 11.6/5.1/2.5 | +5.4 |
Maxey Took Over When It Mattered Most
Tyrese Maxey put the team on his back with a 32-point performance that included a ridiculous 9-10 from the free throw line. That's 54.1 Yahoo FP and honestly feels low given how much he controlled this game. Yeah, the 11-28 shooting looks rough on paper, but with All-NBA Second Team caliber guys like Joel Embiid out, somebody had to will this team to a road win. Maxey's +3.6 over his season average doesn't capture how clutch he was when it mattered.
The bigger story here, and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, is that the 76ers are basically playing without two of their three best players. That's a problem. But it's also Maxey SZN for the rest of the playoffs if this holds. He's gonna see everything thrown at him defensively, and he still cooked Indiana. That's the kind of performance you build around.
The Bench Mob Actually Showed Up
This is where things get interesting for fantasy. With their stars sidelined, the 76ers got contributions from everyone.
VJ Edgecombe played 39 minutes and posted 43.3 Yahoo FP on 16 points and 5 assists. He was basically a third ball handler all night. That's not a fluke one-game thing either, that's what happens when your rotation gets compressed. He's barely owned (need to check your league) but if you're in a deep league and looking for streaming upside, he's legitimately getting starter's minutes right now.
Andre Drummond pulled down 16 boards and added 10 points for 33.7 Yahoo FP. The +7.6 rebound differential is huge when you're playing a short-handed team. He's already 69.5% owned league-wide so this isn't a secret, but if someone dropped him thinking Embiid's return would bury him, grab him back immediately.
Paul George finished with 21 points and was exactly what you needed from a veteran wing. Nothing flashy, just 32 Yahoo FP and getting the job done.
Pacers' Role Guys Had Moments, But It Wasn't Enough
This is rough. The Pacers were essentially decimated with Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Ivica Zubac all out. That's basically a full rotation missing.
Ethan Thompson went absolutely off with 15 points on 6-6 free throws. That's +8.4 over his season average, which tells you everything you need to know about how many opportunities were created. He won't see this many touches when the real roster comes back. Same deal with Quenton Jackson hitting 16 points with a +7.1 performance.
Jarace Walker had himself a night with 17 points and four threes, but again, we have to contextualize this. He's facing backup units all night. When Indiana gets healthy, his role normalizes.
Jay Huff continued his modest contribution with 8 points and 10 rebounds. Nothing spectacular, but he's getting consistent 20+ minute looks and racking up blocks and boards. That's the kind of deep league guy who can be useful without ever being exciting.
What Actually Matters Here
Look, this game feels like a playoff overtime thriller, but both teams are running skeleton crews. Don't overreact to one night performances from role guys who won't get these minutes once the injury reports clear.
The real fantasy lesson is this: Tyrese Maxey just showed he can carry a team to wins. VJ Edgecombe's minutes are real for now. Andre Drummond remains a rebounder, and Paul George is still a reliable scorer when you need him. Those are the takeaways.
For Indiana, everyone's a rental play until we know who's actually back. Don't go adding Quenton Jackson to your starting lineup thinking he cracked the code. He had a good game in a terrible situation.
The 76ers won a game without two All-NBA caliber guys. That's a competitive resilience thing, not a "this is the new norm" thing. Once Embiid and your other guys get healthy, all these benchmarks flip.