Player grades: Tyrese Maxey, Sixers avoid upset with win over Pacers

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PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers played host to the lowly Indiana Pacers on Monday night looking to get back in the win column. Following two tough losses to begin this 6-game homestand, the Pacers offered the perfect opportunity for the Sixers to bounce back as they entered the contest with the worst record in the Eastern Conference.

Instead, the Sixers found themselves down by double-digits early as the Pacers were whipping the ball around and finding open shots against Philadelphia's defense. The Sixers, however, tightened things up and eventually clawed their way back for a 113-104 win over the Pacers. Tyrese Maxey had 29 points and eight assists along with a career-high eight steals for the Sixers.

Joel Embiid had 30 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, Dominick Barlow added 11 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 18 points and five assists, and VJ Edgecombe had 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Tyrese Maxey: A-minus

Fresh off the announcement of his first starting appearance in the All-Star game, Maxey came out strong for the Sixers in the opening quarter. He came up with a number of pick-6s in the early part of the game as he took advantage of Indiana’s shoddy ball-handling. He also did a good job of setting his teammates up to get the offense flowing in the right direction. He did a lot of his damage in transition as he had a tough time getting much going in the half-court other than an early 3-pointer. To his credit, he stayed with it and didn’t let it bother him—which is normal for Maxey—and he made some big plays in the fourth. It wasn't his prettiest game, but he was phenomenal on the defensive end and help the Sixers get this one done.

VJ Edgecombe: C-plus

It was a slow start for Edgecombe as he was unable to get much going against this Pacers defense. He didn’t make a field goal in the opening half and didn’t score until late in the second quarter when he got to the free-throw line. He was able to make plays with his passing and rebounding, but it was a tough opening half for the rookie. He finally got a field goal about four minutes into the third quarter, and that seemed to ignite him a bit. He had a poster on Pacers big man Tony Bradley plus the foul that got the crowd going in this one. An issue in this one was the amount of free throws he missed.

Kelly Oubre Jr.: A

Oubre provided some much-needed offense for the Sixers in this one. His herky-jerky style of being able to finish in a number of ways up and around taller defenders is such a huge help to this team’s offense. His versatility on the defensive end was a big help in this one as Indiana’s guards had a tough time getting into the paint. His scoring and ability to contribute in multiple ways helped the Sixers stay afloat when the Pacers were disrupting things in this one. He was hugely important all night.

Dominick Barlow: A

The aggressiveness that Barlow played with in this one was important. He is a unique player who can do a lot of different things for the Sixers on the floor and he showed it off in this one. He jumped out on the perimeter a few times to help force turnovers and help Philadelphia turn those turnovers into points and bothered the Pacers on the interior with his athleticism and energy.

Joel Embiid: A

The Pacers don’t have many options to throw onto Embiid so it’s more so about hoping Jay Huff can make life tough on him. He wasn’t able to in the early going as the big fella knocked down all five of his shot attempts in the first quarter from the mid-range as he showed off his smooth shooting touch. After the start against Huff, he had a tough go at it with Bradley as he had a bad stretch, but he got going again in the third quarter as he was able to find a rhythm on offense and get the scoreboard moving again for Philadelphia.

Quentin Grimes: C

One had to like the aggressiveness that Grimes played with in his early stint, but he had a tough time converting on his looks. He shot 1-for-5 in the first half and 0-for-3 from deep, but he was able to contribute in other ways to give the Sixers a positive impact. His activity on the defensive end was important in the second half of this one.

Adem Bona: B-minus

The Pacers are the perfect matchup for Bona. Not a lot of size to contend with, so he was able to use his athleticism and energy to make an impact. He ran up and down the floor and was able to make things happen on either end.

Jabari Walker: B-plus

The initial stint for Walker didn’t produce much, but he was much better in the second half when he was all over the place defensively and gave the Sixers a big spark on either end. He finished a tough basket off an offensive rebound and helped force some big turnovers and defensive stops. He was huge in the second half.

Trendon Watford: C

The versatile forward was unable to do much in his initial stint. He was 0-for-3 from the floor and missed both of his free-throw attempts. The best thing he was able to do in his initial stint was give the Sixers another ball-handler and some help on the perimeter defensively.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Tyrese Maxey, Sixers avoid upset with win over Pacers

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