In the hours between a flat night against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday and tonight’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, something changed in Tyrese Maxey. His box score against the Raptors looked fine on paper, but everyone around the Sixers knew that it wasn’t the version of Maxey they needed, and inside the locker room, one person made sure that Tyrese understood that.

After the game against the Bucks tonight, Maxey, talking to reporters, was reminded about Philly head coach Nick Nurse wanting him to shoot more since he came in. Then came the question: why only 14 shots against the Raptors? Maxey answered, “I definitely was not as aggressive as I should’ve been. I got hit in the head and also got hit in the quad. So, It was a little tough for me to pop up and get the ball and be extremely aggressive as I probably needed to be… I made some plays at end of the day, got guys open. I was kind of just like trying to feel the game out. But, he’s definitely right.” Maxey ended that game with 9 assists, making the right reads, but failing to own the game the way his team needed.

That’s when the real moment came. Maxey talked about that night, and how one person made things clear: “Joel definitely got on me as soon as I got in the locker room, pulled out the stat sheet, showed me the 14 shots and said, ‘This ain’t going to cut it.’ So, hey, Joel‘s normally right.” No yelling, no speech, just direct accountability from a superstar teaching the next man up how to stay on another level.

And tonight, it seems like his words paid off. Maxey logged a career-high 54 points and 9 assists in a 123-114 overtime win against the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the only Sixer since Wilt Chamberlain to accomplish the feat. Maxey did this while playing over 46 minutes, and didn’t sub out the entire second half. And, notably, he more than doubled the previous night’s shot attempts, shooting the ball 30 times.

Coach Nurse, after the game, spoke to his tenacity tonight, saying, “We usually have a little discussion there to start the fourth… He didn’t want to have the discussion tonight. He wanted to stay in.” Co-star Paul George also praised the young guard, adding, “I think what you guys don’t see and what stands out is after the game, on a back-to-back, 50, 45-plus minutes, he goes and lifts… I’ve been around a lot of great guys in this league. That’s what they do.”

Overtime Heroes and Tyrese Maxey’s Takeover Lead 76ers Over Bucks

Justin Edwards didn’t need big numbers, just one three at the right time. His only long-range make came 40 seconds into overtime, shifting control towards 76ers and giving the Bucks a deficit they never recovered from. In a game without both Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo,  Edwards kept pressing, even grabbing a key offensive rebound that led to Quentin Grimes knocking down two free throws for a five-point lead.

From there, Tyrese Maxey took over. He hit four free throws in the final 22 seconds to shut the door, but the Sixers had worked hard to get there. Grimes had drilled a huge three to push the Bucks to a two-possession deficit. In regulation, the teams had traded punches: Bobby Portis opened the fourth period by putting Milwaukee up by 83-77, and the Sixers responded with a 10-2 run, with six lead changes in the closing stretch. Maxey forced overtime with two free throws after Myles Turner briefly put the Bucks up with a corner three.

That set the stage for the night’s defining line. Maxey’s career-high game, two more than his game in San Antonio last year. He converted 18 of his 30 shots, hit six threes, and stuffed the stat sheet with nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. Paul George, in his second game back, added 21 on a minutes restriction, and Grimes chipped in 14. Milwaukee got a career-high 32 points and 14 assists from Ryan Rollins, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a third straight loss.