Tyrese Maxey had himself a career night on Thursday, dropping 54 points with nine assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks in a 123–114 overtime win against the Bucks.
The 76ers guard went nuclear in 47 minutes on the court, shooting 18 of 30 from the field, which included 6 of 15 from deep and 12 of 14 from the free-throw line.
Maxey’s 54 points is the most he has ever scored in a game, beating out his 52 points against the Spurs on April 7, 2024. He also broke 50 two other times in February 2024 and November 2023, scoring 51 and 50 points, respectively. The 6'2” point guard joins elite NBA company, becoming just the 41st player to have four 50-point nights in a career.
The 25-year-old Maxey, in his sixth year in the NBA, is now averaging 33.4 points per game, and has scored at least 30 in nine of the first 15 games of the season. As far as scoring leaders go, Maxey is second behind Luka Dončić (34.6 points per game), as he jumped ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.0 PPG) with Thursday night’s 54-point flurry.
Maxey’s efforts have helped Philadelphia start its year 9-6 and sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Maxey’s rise hasn’t been linear. Early in his career, he was a burst-of-speed role player who forced opposing teams to change their pace. But after James Harden departed for the Clippers, the reins of the offense fell into his hands, and he responded by transforming into one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers. His improvement has been steady, averaging 17.5, 20.3, 25.9 and 26.3 points over four seasons in the league. This year feels different—like a leap from promising to undeniable.
The 82-game season is a grind, but one thing is certain—Maxey has a chance to go from All-Star to All-NBA, and as he climbs record books, he’s forcing the league to recalibrate what he is truly capable of.