Player grades: Tyrese Maxey leads Sixers past Bucks on the road

The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday on the second night of a back-to-back looking to get back in the win column. With the Bucks missing superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the opportunity was there for the Sixers to bounce back from the home loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

The Sixers jumped out to a 13-point lead in the opening quarter as they looked like the team with the rest advantage, but the Bucks used a big second quarter to build a small lead of their own. It looked like Milwaukee was going to get this one, but the Sixers dug deep again and rallied in the second half to walk away with a 123-114 overtime win on the road. Tyrese Maxey had a career-high 54 points and nine assists to lead the way for Philadelphia.

Paul George added 21 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes. Quentin Grimes added 14 points off the bench, VJ Edgecombe had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Andre Drummond added eight rebounds before fouling out in the extra session. Jared McCain added eight points.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Tyrese Maxey: A-plus

After the hot start by George, the Sixers were able to then turn to Maxey and allow him to get going. The 6-year vet from Kentucky began to get going on the offensive end with his quickness, ability to put the ball on the floor, and knock down long-range shots. He had some trouble at the foul line early, but the Sixers were able to keep the scoreboard moving thanks to Maxey. The Bucks had no answer for him on the perimeter or when he would attack the basket as he had an explosive night on the offensive end for Philadelphia. He made a ton of big shots for Philadelphia in the fourth quarter as he continues to show off the ice in his veins. He was terrific in this one.

VJ Edgecombe: B

It was another slow start for the rookie as he works his way through the high number of back-to-backs to begin his NBA career. While he was able to throw down a lob, he had a tough time converting on his looks in the early going. Once again, though, he made some big 3s in the second half and gave the Sixers a slew of big moments as he continues to shake off slow starts and be composed enough to contribute in big moments for Philadelphia. He is building a strong start to his NBA career.

Justin Edwards: C

Getting another start, Edwards was a menace on the defensive end. He bothered Milwaukee’s perimeter players with his quick hands and helped the Sixers force the Bucks into a high number of turnovers. Milwaukee had six turnovers in the first quarter which allowed Philadelphia to open the lead. With that being said, he had issues converting on open looks in this one. He was able to do a lot of positives in this one, but the offensive struggles were a big deal before he finally got going in overtime with some huge hoops.

Paul George: A

The 9-time All-Star got off to a fantastic start in this one. He pumped in a quick 11 points starting with an aggressive move to the basket before knocking down three triples in succession and then threw a lob to Edgecombe for the alley-oop. The Sixers got off to a fast start thanks to what he was able to bring to the floor. Still on a minutes restriction and having to play in short bursts, George still had some big moments as the game wore on. This was a positive sign for Philadelphia as it shows that once the minutes restriction is taken off, he can still put up big numbers and give the Sixers some helpful production. He was terrific in this one in terms of his efficiency as he looked like the PG of old. The issue in this one was the number of unforced turnovers.

Andre Drummond: C-plus

The presence that Drummond played with in this one was important. Whenever he was in the paint, the Bucks paid a lot of attention to him to try and keep him off the glass. That meant opportunities for others and he was available for dump-off passes as well. The big issue for him was the fouling. He picked up a critical fifth foul early in the third quarter which forced the Sixers to go small with Joel Embiid and Adem Bona unavailable.

Quentin Grimes: B

The first half for Grimes included him knocking down a wing triple and making some terrific defensive plays. He then knocked down a triple from the top of the key to keep Philadelphia in a rhythm on that end of the floor when the Bucks made a run. He had a tough time really finding that groove in the second half and that hurt Philadelphia’s overall offense as it had a tough time attacking the zone defense the Bucks employed. To his credit, he made some huge plays in overtime.

Dominick Barlow: B

The initial run for Barlow didn’t produce any stats, but he was able to make an impact with his length and activity on the defensive end. He made some big plays in his second half run when the Sixers had to go small without Drummond.

Jared McCain: B-plus

The second-year guard knocked down a deep 3 to end the first quarter as he was able to get a friendly roll on the road in Milwaukee. He then had a tough bucket in the second quarter when the Bucks opened on a 10-0 run to halt that and turn the momentum back to Philadelphia. He had a nice relocation 3 in the second half which shows off his continued search for rhythm on the offensive end.

Trendon Watford: C

Watford missed a couple of open triples in the early going, but he did make plays for others which continues to show his ability to do a variety of good things out on the floor. He did have issues with Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma defensively for his only real criticism in this one.

Jabari Walker: Incomplete

The initial stint for Walker was solid. He was a presence on the glass and was able to convert on a couple of free throws to keep the scoreboard moving for Philadelphia and was helpful on the glass. He didn’t get a look after halftime.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Tyrese Maxey leads Sixers past Bucks on the road