In the first game of the first round of the playoffs, the 76ers defeated the Raptors 131-111 to take a 1-0 lead.
In today's game, the best performer was not MVP candidate Embiid, nor Harden, who had already won MVP, but Maxi, a second-year rookie who was only 21 years old.
Maxie played superstar style today, playing 38 minutes, shooting 14 of 21, including 5 of 8 three-pointers and 5 of 5 free throws, with 38 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, becoming the youngest player in the history of the 76ers playoff team to cut 30+ and surpass Morris Cheeks (22 years and 226 days) At the same time, Maxy also surpassed Barkley (23 years and 74 days) to become the youngest player in the history of the 76ers playoff team to cut 35+ players (21 years and 164 days).
In the third quarter, Maxi scored 21 points, which is also the second-highest single-quarter score in the playoffs in the history of the 76ers in nearly 25 seasons. Iverson scored 26 points in the final quarter of the sixth game against the Bucks in the East Finals on June 2, 2001.
Although Maxi performed well today, Embiid and Harden also performed well, embiid shooting 5-of-15 from the field, with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists. Harden shot 6-of-17 from the field and had 22 points, five rebounds and 14 assists. However, compared with Maxi, it is indeed much inferior.
In addition, Harris also performed well today, playing 37 minutes, shooting 9-of-14 from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point range, 5-of-6 from the free throw line, 26 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, only 1 turnover, plus-minus +17, higher than Harden and Embiid.
If Maxi and Harris can both come forward like today in the playoffs this season, plus embiid and Harden, the 76ers are very much worth looking forward to, and the hope of winning the championship is also very high.
On the Raptors side, Siakam played 39 minutes and shot 9-of-18, including 1-of-2 from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the free throw line, with 24 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks. VanVleet shot 7-of-12 and 4-of-7 from three-point range to have 18 points and six assists. Barnes played 31 minutes, shooting 4-of-6 and 7-of-9 from the free throw line, with 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.