Presenter Ives was breezy, while Cook fronted everything like the last ceremonial horse of some dying cavalry unit
You know what they say. Never judge a pitch until both teams have batted really badly on it. You know what they say. Over here you bat long, bat hard, bat short, bat soft. You know what they say, the Ashes in Australia is all about a hybrid maverick production with a fan-first identity.
Given the brilliance of the basic entertainment on day one in Perth, it was easy to forget that England’s Baz-facing tourists aren’t the only setup with a brave new philosophy in play, out there disrupting the norms, and in need, above all, of a decent start.
The Intuit Dome will retain its name for the 2028 Olympic 5x5 basketball tournaments as Intuit was announced as a LA28 founding partner and a partner of Team USA.
In a new Olympic and Paralympic naming rights program, qualifying LA28 partners have the opportunity to keep existing venue naming rights during the Games, plus can add marketing assets “to significantly bolster their activation efforts.”
The Intuit Dome joins the previously announced Honda Center (volleyball), Peacock Theater (boxing, weightlifting, goalball) and Comcast Squash Center at Universal Studios in retaining naming rights during the LA Games.
During past Games, existing corporate names for stadiums and arenas have not been used.
The Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, will also host the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, which airs live on NBC and Peacock on Feb. 15, the middle Sunday of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
DENVER — At the outset of training camp, Jared Bednar told reporters that having captain Gabe Landeskog available for a full season would make “a huge difference.” A little more than two months later, Bednar is reiterating that very point as his Colorado Avalanche continue to set the pace for the entire league. Colorado remains the NHL’s top team and is now riding a seven-game winning streak after Thursday’s 6–3 victory over the New York Rangers at Ball Arena.
Avs Fight Back, Dominate Down The Stretch
Colorado didn’t get off to a great start. J.T. Miller, who scored two of New York’s three goals on the night, opened the scoring on a Rangers power play just 2:26 into the first period, finishing a seamless tic-tac-toe sequence from Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad with a tap in. Nathan MacKinnon pulled Colorado even at 1–1, swatting home a rebound off a Martin Nečas shot to surpass Peter Šťastný for the second-most points in Avalanche franchise history.
But it didn’t take long for the Rangers to pull back ahead as the Avs struggled in the early stages with puck control, allowing for New York to go on a series of odd-man rushes. This allowed Sam Carrick to move the puck up the ice, and he set up Adam Edstrom for a redirect that went right over Scott Wedgewood to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead nearly four minutes into the second period.
After a long stretch marked by pronounced ebbs and flows, the Avalanche finally caught a break in their own zone when Artemi Panarin lost control of the puck. MacKinnon seized the opportunity, carrying it up the ice before sliding a pass to Nečas, who then fed Makar for one of the most exquisite wraparounds you’ll see at any level of hockey, knotting the game at 2 entering the final period.
Despite a second J.T. Miller goal in the third period, the rest of the frame was essentially one-way traffic, as the Avalanche operated in lockstep to overwhelm New York with a four-goal onslaught. Colorado cashed in on a power-play strike from Brock Nelson, saw MacKinnon notch his second of the night, and sealed the win with empty-netters from Makar and Ross Colton.
Just when it looked as though the Avalanche might be in for a fight, they snuffed out any suspense—again—for the seventh straight game. With the win, Colorado becomes only the fourth team in NHL history to suffer just one regulation loss through its first 20 contests, joining the 1927–28 Montreal Canadiens (15-1-4), the 1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers (16-1-3), and the 2012–13 Chicago Blackhawks (17-0-3). Now, the Avalanche (14-1-5) take their place on that rarefied list. But of the previous four teams, only the Blackhawks wound up winning the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. Perhaps we should make room for the Avalanche, but time will tell. But one thing is clear, it’s the leadership on this team that is making an impact.
Leadership Matters
There have been stretches this season when the Avalanche have looked vulnerable, yet somehow, they always manage to claw their way back and pile up goals in bursts. After wins, Landeskog often reminds reporters that the performance was far from perfect, then calmly walks through the adjustments and refinements that allowed Colorado to clean up its mistakes.
He isn’t overly emotional or theatrical. He’s simply himself—a steadying, understated presence. And that demeanor has long served this team well. It carried them through the 48-point heartbreak of the 2016–17 season, through multiple years of playoff disappointment, and ultimately to the summit with their 2022 Stanley Cup championship.
For the past three seasons, the Avalanche have been forced to navigate without that presence as Landeskog recovered from major knee surgery. His absence was palpable. But now that he’s back—and now that Colorado has bolstered its depth while its superstars continue to perform at elite levels—the Avalanche look more dangerous than ever.
“It’s the focus of the whole entire group,” Bednar said at the post-game press conference. “If we get off track or things aren’t going the way we want it to go, the leadership group has done a nice job of getting guys back on track and focusing on the right things.
“The message on the bench is not just coming from the coaches; it’s coming from the players and what needs to be done and what we can do better in certain areas. And on top of that, I like the way they’re delivering that message, too. It’s not just yelling and screaming, it’s delivered the right way, and guys are taking accountability if they’re making mistakes and moving on to the next play.”
The Landeskog Effect
The way Bednar talks about the team’s growing cohesion only strengthens the idea that Landeskog’s influence is making a meaningful impact. When The Hockey News asked him how the leadership dynamic had changed without Landeskog in the room, and whether the absence led to more yelling than constructive feedback, Bednar didn’t hesitate to draw a clear contrast.
“(Landeskog) certainly has a calming effect on the room,” he explained. “He’s a very well-respected guy for obvious reasons. Everyone has their own leadership style, but Landy seems to complement all the other leaders that we have in the room, or they complement his leadership style.
“He’s the first one to recognize things and when he’s saying (something), everyone listens. His delivery is perfect; he’s going to deliver the message the right way. Other guys can sit back, relax a little bit more, and keep going about their business, but still leading. It’s just that when your captain is in the room, it’s more of a calming influence than we have without him.”
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“I think what Draymond does is calculated,” Martin said. “Draymond ain’t do nothing to somebody who’s going to do something back to him.”
Now, it was Green’s time to finally fire back.
And per usual, he didn’t hold back.
On his “The Draymond Green Show” podcast, Green initially discussed how it was “disappointing” and “confusing’ that so much hate was coming from Martin, given that they’re both from Saginaw, Mich. Green shared that growing up, he also rooted for Martin for the sole fact that he was born in the same place that he was.
“The constant shots have been a little confusing to me because I don’t quite know where they came from,” Green said. “And you think someone who was the No. 1 pick that didn’t quite have the career that I’ve had, but playing similar roles in a sense, would appreciate it, would show more love — especially when you go back to a kid born and raised in Saginaw, you think it’ll be a little more love. So it’s a little disappointing to see the constant shots. I just always thought it would be a little more love than that.
“But when you were the No. 1 pick and effectively underachieved, I guess that would be the reason why. To be the No. 1 pick and make the All-Star Game one time, most would say it’s probably an underachievement. Being that I was the 35th pick and made the All-Star Game four times. Defensive Player of the Year. Kenyon Martin was a defender. I think he would consider himself a good defender, [but] never quite reached the pinnacle of that when you talk Defensive Player of the Years, or the nine All-Defensive Teams that I have, and he has zero.
“It’s tough to sit in a space of like continuing to speak on my name and call my name out as if I underachieved or am underachieving. When I was just simply the 35th pick in the NBA draft, and somebody took a swing on me the second round and it just happened to work out to become one of the greatest players in franchise history.”
In 15 seasons, Martin made two NBA Finals appearances in the first two seasons of his career. He never secured the Larry O’Brien Trophy, however.
Green, of course, has made six trips to the Finals and won four championships with the Warriors over the last 13 years.
Accolades, stats and opinions aside, Green is most hurt by, again, the fact that these comments are coming from someone who grew up in a city like Saginaw, where he said there’s so much pride. And despite Martin’s critiques, Green said he won’t ever lose the respect of someone he once idolized as a young boy from Michigan.
“It’s just been a little weird and constant shots, and due to my respect and my love because of the connection that I once shared or still share from being born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, I’ve held off on responding multiple times,” Green continued. “Because I just know when I respond to s–t, it takes on a whole other world, and guys get more publicity than they necessarily get when I don’t respond. So I’ve been kind of taking the path of like, I ain’t going to say nothing, because I don’t want to give people more publicity. But more importantly than the publicity, I try to stay in a space of respect.
“At the end of the day, I still have my beliefs, and my beliefs are, man, I’ve rooted for this guy for a very long time. I’m not a wishy-washy guy. I’m not just going to jump off the rails and attack him or be responding and get in these back-and-forths because of the respect and love that I had growing up as a kid.”
But it wouldn’t be a true Draymond Green “clap back” if it didn’t end with a little diss.
“The shots just keep coming. You continue to shoot at me, and you underachieved! One All-Star. Make no mistake about it, you are an All-Star. I give you that. A lot of people can’t say they’re an all-star, so I give you that, you’re a one-time All-Star. That’s beautiful. But you must admit, to be the player that you were and defender that you believed you were, and to not have like a single All-Defensive Second Team, it’s kind of an underachievement. No. 1 pick in the draft, a lot of people look for that guy to win Rookie of the Year. Did make the First Team All-Rookie, though, you know, that’s an accolade that I can’t say I have. I ain’t really played much as a rookie as the 35th pick, so I can’t say I made any All-Rookie team. So kudos. I tip my hat to that.
“But like I said, man, the shots, they’re just a little baffling to me. Because if I stopped playing basketball today, my career was better, way more impactful. I think Kenyon Martin lost in a couple NBA Finals. He got to sniff it. Didn’t quite get a taste, but got a little sniff of it. So your resume got to be a little better to just keep taking shots.”
In the end, it’s all love from Green.
But he had to get some things off his chest, first.
Former world champion promises to restore trust in sport
World Boxing replaced IBA as governing body this year
The former world middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin is to be elected president of World Boxing and lead the sport as it heads towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Golovkin, who won Olympic silver in Athens in 2004 and went on to make the most world title defences in middleweight history, is the only presidential candidate approved by the sport’s independent vetting panel for Sunday’s election. As a result he will take charge of World Boxing, which became the governing body for amateur Olympic boxing this year.
For a second year in a row, the Nashville Predators are struggling mightily, and it’s time for Barry Trotz to admit that his free agent shopping spree in the 2024 offseason didn’t pan out. The experienced GM went out and added players like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei, which, on paper, looked like good signings. That was after bringing in Ryan O’Reilly, Gustav Nyquist and Luke Schenn the previous offseason. Still, the sauce didn’t take in the 2024-25 campaign, and it’s not this season either.
The Preds are currently 31st in the league, and it seems like it’s time for Trotz to bite the bullet and admit defeat. There are worse seasons to become a seller, though, considering Gavin McKenna will be up for grabs at the next draft. Given the expensive and lengthy contracts Trotz gave to aging players, it won’t be easy for the Preds to get out of their predicament.
On Thursday night, two Predators scouts took in the game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals from the Bell Centre press gallery. With rumours swirling around about a few of the Preds’ players, this was an interesting development. TSN insider Pierre LeBrun recently revealed that, according to his sources, the Canadiens could be interested in Marchessault.
The soon-to-be 35-year-old winger is currently in the second year of a five-year contract that has a $5.5 million cap hit. Speaking to RDS after signing that deal with the Preds, Marchessault had said the Canadiens were interested in signing him but weren’t willing to give him a five-year deal. Even with their current injury predicament, I struggle to see how Kent Hughes could now believe it would be a sound decision to take on that contract. Furthermore, he has only 6 points in 17 games.
The same argument also applies to Stamkos, who has two more years left at an $8 M cap hit and is already 35. As good as he once was, he’s barely a shadow of his former self now, with five points in 20 games.
Given the Canadiens’ depth issue at centre, which is likely to get even worse now that Jake Evans exited Thursday night’s game after a high hit from Tom Wilson, Ryan O’Reilly would be a much more enticing option. The rugged center might already be 34, but at least he’s only got one more year at $4.5 M left on his deal, and he is still producing. The big center has 13 points in 20 games and has a 56.4% success rate in the faceoff department.
Unlike many of his teammates, O’Reilly’s contract doesn’t include a no-movement clause, meaning he has no say on whether or not he gets traded. It might be worth remembering that the 6-foot-1, 207-pound pivot refused to sign a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs after landing there as a rental because he didn’t want to be in the spotlight of a big market and didn’t enjoy the media attention. There would be plenty of that in Montreal; could that prevent him from reporting if a trade was made? One would have to think the Canadiens would make sure it wouldn’t be the case before pulling the trigger on a deal.
If the Preds were to go ahead and trade O’Reilly, however, it wouldn’t send a great message to the room. The center is their second-highest scorer and one of just six players to reach double digits this season.
O’Reilly could definitely help the Canadiens, and his contract means he wouldn’t overstay his welcome either, but the question then becomes, what would the Preds need to trade one of their very few productive players right now? The Habs currently have nine picks at the next draft, including their first-round and two second-rounders, thanks to the Patrik Laine trade. Considering how stale the trade market is right now, Trotz could be in a position to be greedy; many teams would like to improve down the middle. The Predators are certainly one team to watch right now…
The Springboks are the standard-bearers in world rugby and will look to underline that position with a first win in Dublin in the Rassie Erasmus era
Be careful what you wish for. That would be my message to England supporters getting a little bit ahead of themselves and wishing that South Africa were due at Twickenham on Sunday. By all means get a little carried away – that’s the beauty of following a team on a winning run and it’s a demonstration of the confidence surrounding this England team at the moment – but the Springboks can wait until next summer.
South Africa remain the standard-bearers in world rugby. They are perfectly placed to achieve their goal of finishing the year as the No 1 team in the world and, given South Africa have never won in Dublin under Rassie Erasmus, there will be plenty of motivation to create another slice of history against Ireland on Saturday. The question is, have England closed the gap this autumn? And if so, by how much.
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Washington Capitals on Thursday night after losing their last four games, and to say Martin St-Louis’ men needed a win would be an understatement. After a red-hot start to the season, the Habs were dangerously close to being out of the playoff picture when the Caps came to town.
With the Habs having failed to score on their last 17 power play opportunities, all eyes were on the new look units that St-Louis didn’t have a chance to test against the Columbus Blue Jackets. As always this season, fans and media alike wondered which version of Samuel Montembeault would be in the net against the Caps and the best sniper in NHL history, Alexander Ovechkin.
While the coach is doing his best to show Montembeault that he trusts him, the issue is that the Becancour native doesn't trust himself. Once again on Thursday night, he allowed a goal on the first shot he faced. Granted, it was an Alexander Ovechkin slap shot, but still, it came from further out than his power play bullets typically come from. It’s common for a goaltender who has lost his confidence to allow a goal quickly because he overthinks it, and that’s not helpful.
For the first time this season, the coach actually pulled his goaltender during a period. After Montembeault had given up three goals on 10 shots, the bench boss had had enough. Not that he could do much on the second goal, which came on the power play with a guy all alone in the high slot, but he certainly could have stopped the third. It was a shot off the wing where there wasn’t much of an angle, and he touched it but couldn’t stop it.
Aside from the three goals he allowed, though, Montembeault has clearly been battling the puck lately. He rarely manages to freeze the puck right away; it’s almost as if each shot surprises him, and he pushes it back in traffic because he’s not expecting them. When you compare him to Jakub Dobes, it’s clear that the Czech netminder doesn’t put the puck back in traffic when he can’t freeze it; he deflects it to the side.
Mind you, after the second frame, Dobes had given two goals on 10 shots, which isn’t great either, but he still looked more confident out there. Asked about his goaltenders, the coach replied:
Can our goalies be better? Of course, I know they can be better. But we have to get the job done in front of them as well; we don’t have enough consistency. We’re not helping them consistently. It’s easy to point at the goaltenders.
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Pressed further about what the team could be doing better in front of the goalies, St-Louis almost lost his cool:
Can our goalies play better? Yes, they’d be the first to tell you. You want me to say I want more saves? Everyone wants more saves. Of course, the goaltenders can always be better, but I won’t lay everything at their door. Other things are happening on the ice, which means we can help them more.
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Asked to elaborate on what his players could do better, he answered:
Put pucks in deep, fewer turnovers, defend better, get the puck out when it’s around the blueline, take fewer penalties, block shots, put the puck on the sticks in front of the net, do you want more?
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Premiere Night
While everyone was curious to see if Zach Bolduc and Juraj Slafkovsky would make the most of their new linemates, it was actually a couple of fourth liners who scored the Habs’ first two goals.
Brendan Gallagher struck first with his first of the season on a power play, even though the review was necessary before it was allowed. It was Montreal's first power play goal in 19 opportunities and it was long overdue.
Then, in his 15th game with the Habs, Joe Veleno finally found the back of the net with assists from Mike Matheson and the good old Gallagher.
It's worth mentioning that Veleno had a pretty good night in the faceoff department as well, winning 60 % of his drafts.
Going Back In Time
I don’t remember seeing Martin St-Louis so disappointed after a game. He said it outright at the start of the media availability:
I’m disappointed it’s as if we’d gone back in time tonight, and that’s disappointing. Our good was good, but we shot ourselves in the foot, it’s as if we’ve regressed 13 or 14 months.
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It's hard to argue with what St-Louis was saying in a game where the Canadiens repeatedly shot themselves in the foot and ended up losing 8-4 (including an Ovechkin hat trick) to an older team that excels at feeding off an opponent's mistakes. The Capitals may not be as powerful as they once were but if you give them plenty of odd-man rushes, they will make you pay. They demonstrated that during the third frame when Lane Hutson, desperately trying to create some offense, turned the puck over up ice twice. The first three on one didn't succeed, but the other rush, which came what seemed like seconds later did.
Juraj Slafkovsky also reverted to trying cross zone passes that he cannot pull off, being guilty of a couple of turnovers in the process.. The Slovak just doesn't have the deceptive skills Ivan Demidov has and the sooner he stops trying to pull those off, the better. Alexandre Carrier, who normally plays a smart and safe game, was guilty of three giveaways
The coach then nuanced his affirmation, saying there were moments tonight that made him feel like his team had regressed, and that it was tough to watch some of these things. While the pilot anticipates that his team can grow from this, he warns that they’ll need to hear some truths to do that. Which probably means that when the players turn up in Brossard tomorrow, there will be a long video session, but unlike last week, I don’t expect this one to turn into an optional skate, not the way St-Louis spoke after the game.
Goals were difficult to come by on Thursday night at Amerant Bank Arena as the Florida Panthers locked horns with the New Jersey Devils.
The first period goal scored by Sam Reinhart would stand as the game-winner thanks to a 31-save shutout by Sergei Bobrovsky as the Panthers skated to a 1-0 victory.
Florida has now won four of their past five games and despite continuing to lose players to injury – Eetu Luostarinen and Cole Schwindt went down this week – they continue to make progress and build momentum.
Picking up a hard-earned win against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference certainly helps the confidence, too.
Let’s get to Thursday’s takeaways.
BOB STANDS TALL
Panthers starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had one heck of a bounce-back game against New Jersey.
In his last outing, Monday’s 8-5 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, Bob faced only 15 shots on goal despite allowing a handful in, but fortunately for the Cats, they dropped an eight-spot and still picked up the win.
Bobrovsky responded by stopping all 31 shots the Devils sent his way, including nine of the high-danger variety.
He’s now tied for the league lead in shutouts and tied for second in wins.
“I kind of feel that's been a bit of a story of the career, and certainly for number one goaltenders…if you didn't like one of Sergei’s games, pretty sure you're going to like the next one, right?” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “He was right on tonight, and clean with everything they did. There's a lot of danger, once you watch that game on video, you'll be really impressed with the little deflections, they have wonderful hands on that team, and he made some great saves.”
A DEVINE DEBUT
Florida prospect Jack Devine did not look like a player making his NHL debut on Thursday.
While he finished the game with only 8:20 of ice time, Devine was noticeable when he was out there.
That’s particularly true during the first two periods when Florida was able to roll its four lines and continue keeping pressure on the Devils.
His ability to jump right into Florida’s lineup and play with confidence will go a long way as he starts to build a case for being considered for a regular NHL spot.
“He was where he was supposed to be, and had a good sense,” said Maurice. “I thought he showed a little confidence, even (though) his first play was a turnover in the neutral zone, which was kind of funny, sort of, but there was a play to be made there, he was trying to make the play, and then he picked the puck up and made nice outlet pass for a chance on his first shift. I thought he had a good balance between, you know, there's a lot of pressure on you. It's not just you want to perform for yourself, there's all these 19 other guys on the bench that played here a while that you want to perform for those guys. I liked their line, I thought their line in the second period gave us that four-line rotation that allowed us to be pretty aggressive.”
PENALTY KILL KEEPS ROLLING
Florida has been playing quite good when down a man over the past several weeks.
Outside of allowing two goals on six opportunities to Vancouver on Monday, the Panthers have not allowed any power play goals since the first period of their game in Los Angeles all the way back on Nov. 6.
That’s a span of 21 penalty kills over seven games in which Florida has allowed just the two goals.
“We've had one off night with it,” Maurice said. “And then probably from the Vegas game on, much like our power play, we've got some pairs that are going together now that have been really good. But again, it's driven by the back end. Those big fellas back there cover a lot of ice.”
Photo caption: Nov 20, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers right wing Jack Devine (38) moves the puck against the New Jersey Devils during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
SAN FRANCISCO — The major offseason deals won’t happen until closer to December’s Winter Meetings, but the Giants made another minor move Friday.
Outfielder Joey Wiemer was acquired from the Miami Marlins in exchange for cash considerations, with catcher Andrew Knizner getting designated for assignment to clear a roster spot. Wiemer, 26, had been DFA’d by the Marlins earlier this week.
A fourth-round pick in 2020, Wiemer reached the big leagues with Milwaukee in 2023 and had a solid rookie year, hitting 13 homers but posting a wRC+ of 76. He has played just 48 games since and has been traded twice.
Wiemer and old friend Jakob Junis got sent to Cincinnati at the deadline in 2024. That offseason, he was part of the Jonathan India-Brady Singer swap between the Reds and Kansas City Royals. This past August, he was claimed by the Miami Marlins, who let him go earlier this week as part of 40-man roster shuffling.
Wiemer has a wRC+ of 74 in the big leagues, which is below league-average, but it’s easy to see the traits that stood out to the Giants. In 2023, when he got his most big league action, he ranked in the 89th percentile in sprint speed and was worth six Out Above Average. He is capable of playing all three outfield spots, and the Giants have made it clear that improving their outfield defense — which ranked 30th last year — is one of their top priorities this winter.
The front office has now traded for Wiemer and claimed Justin Dean, who is an excellent defender and also can play all three spots. It appears the Giants are preparing to make real changes with their outfield mix, which includes multiple young players who are out of options.
Knizner was let go on a day when teams have to decide whether to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players. Jesus Rodriguez is the current favorite to be Patrick Bailey’s backup, but the Giants will add additional depth.
After more than a decade with the Golden State Warriors, assistant coach Chris DeMarco is headed to the WNBA.
The New York Liberty have agreed on a contract to hire DeMarco as their new coach, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Friday morning, citing sources.
It is unclear if DeMarco will finish the 2025-26 NBA season with the Warriors before moving to the Big Apple, or if he will head East right away.
The New York Liberty have agreed on a deal to hire Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as their new head coach, sources tell ESPN. DeMarco has been with the Warriors since 2012, winning four NBA titles. He also serves as head coach of the Bahamian men's national team. pic.twitter.com/GsQC66f6iV
DeMarco now is the third NBA assistant to be named the head coach of a WNBA team over the past two seasons (h/t Yahoo! Sports). Per The New York Post’s Madeline Kenney, New York had prioritized candidates with NBA backgrounds, in addition to a blend of modern and innovative views on the game.
In addition to primarily running Golden State’s defense under Steve Kerr, DeMarco also has served as head coach of the Bahamian men’s national team since 2019.
DeMarco now will take over the void left by Sandy Brondello, for whom the Liberty didn’t renew her contract for the 2026 season.
The Sixers’ injuries were rampant all year. It’s not normal for young, 6-foot-2 guards to constantly save the day. Everyone endures shooting slumps. He struggled with a season-ending finger injury.
The 25-year-old has played at an MVP level for a 9-6 Sixers team that’s already notched quite a few heart-pounding wins. He posted a career-high 54 points, nine assists, five rebounds, three blocks and three steals Thursday in an overtime victory over the Bucks.
Maxey’s co-stars have still been mostly unavailable. Joel Embiid’s played in six games and missed his sixth straight in Milwaukee because of a right knee injury. Paul George had a valuable 21-point performance against the Bucks, but he sat out the Sixers’ first 12 games as he ramped up following arthroscopic surgery in July on his left knee.
So, Maxey’s barely been on the bench. He’s played an NBA-high 40.7 minutes per game and rookie teammate VJ Edgecombe is second with 37.4. No NBA player has averaged 40-plus minutes in a season since Monta Ellis back in the 2010-11 campaign.
With 33.4 points per game, Maxey sits second in the league in scoring. Wilt Chamberlain’s 33.5 per contest in his 1965-66 MVP season are the most in Sixers history. Embiid averaged 33.1 in his 2022-23 MVP season.
There’s many hard-earned nuances to Maxey’s vast scoring package. He routinely drops in lefty layups and floaters, shifts pace, surges downhill, draws free throws in crafty fashion. His range stood out in Milwaukee. No defense is equipped to guard dynamic drivers who also swish foot-on-the-logo jumpers.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Maxey’s 124.6 points per 100 shot attempts would be the best mark of his career. He went 18 for 30 from the field and 12 for 14 at the foul line in Milwaukee.
Maxey’s 7.9 assists per game and 33.0 assist percentage would easily be career bests, too. He’s had a good time running the Sixers’ offense and tossing up lobs to Edgecombe.
“Y’all said I couldn’t pass,” Maxey said with a smile on Nov. 8. “I had to work on my passing. I honestly did a lot in the summertime. Some of my friends helped me out just with trying to make reads. … This is my sixth year. Every year I’ve been trying to play a better floor game. (Player development coach Toure’ Murry) has been on me about how, if I’m going to score the ball a lot, I’ve got to be able to get my teammates involved, too. It helps me. It helps me be more aggressive.”
Through all the losses last season, Maxey’s defensive progress was a silver lining. He’s got quick feet and clever hands, and he’s continued to take pride in his effort. Maxey led the Sixers in both steals and blocks on Thursday.
Beyond the numbers, Maxey’s made tons of intangible improvements.
He appears to have much more trust in his instincts as a leader — what play to call in a crucial moment; when to encourage and when to correct younger players; how to play with both contagious joy and steely determination.
“I think probably the end of my fourth year, I just remember Joel pulling me to the side and telling me that my voice is going to be needed,” Maxey said on Oct. 20. “People see how hard I work, how much I care about winning and the franchise. And Joel, he’s a more reserved guy. Of course he’s talented on the court — that’s what he does — but he was just telling me that’s a way for me to step up, leading and being vocal.
“Last year I tried to start it at the beginning, but I didn’t really get going the way I needed to until probably toward the middle of the season. It’s just what I do now, I guess. I’m old.”
