Instant observations: Sixers end road trip by quitting vs. Blazers

Key Highlights

• Down four of your six or most important players, Maxey was always going to see intense ball pressure and the full intensity of Portland on Monday.
• But he did not use their absences to check out of this one, starting this game off on the right foot to give the shorthanded Sixers a chance. The common theme since 2026 started has been brutal outside shooting to go with beautiful inside-the-arc play, and that persisted against the Blazers.
• Though he was 0/5 from deep at halftime, Maxey was putting significant pressure on Portland by attacking the paint with gusto in both halfcourt and transition.
• Toumani Camara is an outstanding perimeter defender, but he was able to neutralize some of his man’s size and strength advantages with his first step, leaving Camara trailing and unable to catch up on quite a few trips to the basket.
• And Maxey did well to set Camara up as a cutter, too, feinting as if he was coming back for the basketball before exploding toward the basket and catching a pass that quickly turned into a layup. Between his exploits at the end of the first and the success of an Edgecombe-led lineup to open the second, it looked like the Sixers could be on their way to an unexpectedly comfortable victory.