As the Philadelphia 76ers face a must-win Game 4 against the New York Knicks on Sunday, all eyes are on how they can unlock Tyrese Maxey against a relentless defensive scheme. The Knicks have thrown everything at him—aggressive blitzes, traps, and constant pressure—and it's working. Through three games, Maxey is averaging 18.7 points on 45.5% shooting, but his three-point percentage has plummeted to just 16.7%. In Friday's Game 3 loss, he managed only 12 shot attempts, though he made eight of them, along with seven assists.

During Saturday's film session, Sixers coach Nick Nurse broke down what he's seeing from his star guard. "They're blitzing him a lot, getting the ball out of his hands," Nurse explained. "But when I watched the film, I noticed he turned down a few shots. And here's the thing—he usually made a great play after that. In basketball, when you see an opening and get greedy, it often backfires. But Maxey? He had one play where I thought he was wide open, blew past the closeout, and got an And-1."

Nurse's point is clear: while the Knicks are successfully forcing the ball away from Maxey, he's still making the right decisions. The real issue in Game 3 wasn't Maxey's choices—it was that his teammates couldn't convert the open looks he created. As the series heats up, Philadelphia will need Maxey to shoot more aggressively, but as long as he's reading the defense correctly, Nurse isn't complaining.

"There were a few times he could have stepped into his shot instead of moving it to the corner," Nurse added. "But that still created a good look. It's the same thing I've been saying—it's about making the right play, even when the defense is designed to stop you." For Sixers fans, the hope is that those right plays start turning into wins.