Tyrese Maxey was named the league’s most improved player on Tuesday, a day after the NBA says referees missed calling multiple fouls that led to a key turnover in the final minute of Game 2 against the Knicks.
Frank Franklin II | AP photo
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
The NBA acknowledged Tuesday that 76ers coach Nick Nurse, right, attempted to call timeouts twice that were not granted on a key late possession in which the Sixers turned the ball over, leading to a game-winning shot by the Knicks.
Frank Franklin II | AP photo
NEW YORK — Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey was fouled twice before his turnover that led to the go-ahead 3-pointer by Donte DiVincenzo in the New York Knicks’ victory over the 76ers in Game 2, the NBA determined Tuesday.
In its Last 2 Minutes report, the league also said 76ers coach Nick Nurse twice attempted to call timeouts that were “neither recognized nor granted by the officials” during the possession.
The furious 76ers planned to file a grievance regarding the officiating after falling into a 2-0 hole in the series following the Knicks’ 104-101 victory on Monday night. But on Tuesday — speaking on TNT after being revealed as the league’s Most Improved Player this season — Maxey offered perspective.
“It is what it is. It happened. We’ve got to let it go,” Maxey said. “We can’t dwell on it now. If we dwell on it, then in a couple days we’ll be down 0-3. We don’t want to be down 0-3. We know that we can still win this series. We’re going to go out there and prove that to everybody, not just ourselves. It starts today, letting that go. And then tomorrow at practice, and when the ball goes up on Thursday be the tougher team — not just physically, but mentally as well.”
The 76ers led by five points before Jalen Brunson’s 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining. The 76ers attempted to inbound the ball to Maxey, who was swarmed by both Brunson and Josh Hart. Maxey fell to the court and Hart grabbed the ball.
But the NBA said Brunson first grabbed Maxey’s jersey, preventing the All-Star guard from catching the pass cleanly. The league ruled that Hart then made lower body contact that caused Maxey to fall.
Both plays were indicated as incorrect non-calls.
The league determined that Hart took the ball away from Maxey with a clean steal.
Nurse attempted to call timeout before the ball was passed in, then again after Maxey had fallen, which may have been too late.
“The timeout request is simultaneous to Hart making contact with the ball and (Philadelphia) not having possession,” the report said.
Sixers center Joel Embiid used an expletive after the game in saying the officiating had been unacceptable for missing the attempted timeout and the foul.
“I mean, we still had chances to win the game,” Maxey said Tuesday night. “I got my layup blocked and we missed a 3 at the end to tie. We can’t dwell on that. We can’t leave the games in other people’s hands. We’ve got to go out there and take it.”
MAXEY HONORED
Tyrese Maxey was sixth in the Most Improved Player voting two years ago, a tribute to the jump he made between his first and second seasons in the NBA.
Voters thought the jump he made from his third year to his fourth was even more impressive.
Philadelphia’s All-Star guard on Tuesday night was named the league’s most improved this season. Maxey’s scoring rose for the third consecutive year, and he finished the regular season averaging 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game — all career bests.
It’s not uncommon for players to see their numbers soar when given a new role, but that wasn’t the case with Maxey. Consider: two years ago, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 35.3 minutes per game. This year, he topped all those numbers and averaged only 2.2 more minutes per contest.
“It feels great,” Maxey said on the TNT broadcast where the award was announced. “Somebody like myself, who prides myself on putting in a lot of work and outworking people and finding ways to get 1% better every single time I step in the gym, it feels good for that to come to light, honestly.”
Maxey edged Chicago’s Coby White in the voting. Houston’s Alperen Sengun was third. White averaged 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game — all career highs. Sengun averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals in 32.5 minutes per game — also all career highs.
Maxey got just over half of the first-place votes and that pushed him just past White. Players got five points for a first-place vote, three for second and one for third. Maxey finished with 319 points to White’s 305, but White appeared on 91 ballots compared with 79 ballot appearances for Maxey.
Sengun finished with 92 points for third.
The awards were selected by a panel of 99 reporters and broadcasters who cover the league. Their ballots were due last week before the start of the play-in tournament. NBA awards take only the regular season into consideration.
Utah’s Lauri Markkanen won the MIP award last season. The other finalists from a year ago — Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and New York’s Jalen Brunson — were MVP candidates this season, and both got MIP votes this year as well.
The rest of the voting: Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams was fourth, Brunson was fifth, Washington’s Deni Avdija sixth, Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas seventh, Orlando’s Jalen Suggs eighth, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton ninth, Phoenix’s Grayson Allen and Miami’s Duncan Robinson tied for 10th, San Antonio’s Devin Vassell and Gilgeous-Alexander tied for 12th, and Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith was 14th.
The MIP award was the first of seven individual trophies that will be handed out in the coming weeks, along with All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams.