BBNBA: Tyrese Maxey Shines in 76ers Opener, AD Bounces Back in Win Over Suns
The third night of the 2023-24 NBA season kept up the momentum and excitement that was present on Opening Night. Only two games were on, but both made national television. Under the spotlight, former ‘Cats Tyrese Maxey and Anthony Davis put up stellar performances for their respective teams.
Tyrese Maxey holds his own in a star-studded affair
In a game featuring one of the best players in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the debut of Damian Lillard as a Buck, and Joel Embiid, the defending back-to-back scoring leader, Tyrese Maxey cemented himself as a guy who belongs in that company.
Out of the gate, Maxey was slow in getting things going. After the start of the second quarter, however, was when he really began to hit his stride. The former All-SEC selection put up the first seven points of the quarter for the 76ers, and that wasn’t the end of it.
All night long, Maxey was making crazy shot after crazy shot (like the one below) while also giving his team a chance late in the game. As the conductor of the Philadelphia offense, his eight assists and overall playmaking ability are what ultimately kept the 76ers in the game. Unfortunately for Maxey and the 76ers, their efforts came just short of a win in Milwaukee. He still managed 31 points on 10-22 overall shooting in 40 minutes though.
Anthony Davis powers Lakers to hard-fought victory
After practically disappearing in the 2nd half of the Lakers’ Opening Night loss to the Nuggets, Anthony Davis responded to the negativity by absolutely dominating the competition on the floor. Thursday’s game between the Suns and Lakers marked the first time that stars Kevin Durant and LeBron James had faced off since 2018, but this game belonged to AD.
The 2012 NCAA National Champion was rolling from the get-go, but it was late in the game when the Lakers were able to count on Davis the most. With LeBron James struggling for the duration of the game, Davis practically put the team on his back to put the Lakers back at .500. He closed his night with 30 points and 12 rebounds on 10-17 shooting, including a 9-10 mark from the free throw line.
Davis was doing it all on the hardwood. Whether it was finishing in tough situations in the post, fighting for boards, or making impact plays and creating turnovers on defense, he made sure that his team wouldn’t fall to 0-2. Unfortunately, Devin Booker was sidelined with a minor injury for the Suns, so we didn’t get a ‘Cat-on-‘Cat battle, but Davis gave the BBN something to cheer for.
10/26/2023 Statistics:
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 118-117 L @ MIL | 31 | 10-22 (3-8) | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 100-95 W vs. PHX | 30 | 10-17 (1-2) | 13 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +7 | 39 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL) | 100-95 W vs. PHX | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 100-95 L @ LAL | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chris Livingston (MIL) | 118-117 W vs. PHI | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tyty Washington (MIL) | 118-117 W vs. PHI | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA:
- 7:00 PM | Pistons @ Hornets (Richards, Washington)
- 7:00 PM | Nuggets (Murray) @ Grizzlies
- 7:30 PM | Knicks (Toppin, Quickley, Randle) @ Hawks
- 7:30 PM | Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Sarr, Wallace) @ Cavaliers
- 7:30 PM (ESPN) | Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ Celtics
- 8:00 PM | Rockets @ Spurs (Johnson)
- 8:00 PM | Raptors @ Bulls
- 8:30 PM | Nets @ Mavericks
- 9:30 PM | Clippers (Boston Jr.) @ Jazz
- 10:00 PM | Magic @ Trail Blazers (Sharpe)
- 10:00 PM (ESPN) | Warriors @ Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles)
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