Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers address their shortcomings in a tough loss to the New York Knicks on the road.

As the Philadelphia 76ers' trying season continues, could it spell the end of head coach Nick Nurse's run with the team? Health concerns with 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have added to the issues plaguing Philadephia from emerging into playoff contention.

Drew Hanlen is the basketball skills and development trainer for superstars like Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Maxey, Tyrese Haliburton, Trey Murphy and many more of the NBA's elite.

Philadelphia 76ers' Tyrese Maxey dunks the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela

An unglamorous role player is a glamor franchise’s secret weapon. And a lifeless squad could use a spark. Let’s open up the notebook to run through three NBA trends that have caught my eye over the past week: Alex Caruso was in a familiar place: The Oklahoma City Thunder were up big as he approached MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the top of the key.

Tyrese Maxey then sank another of his trademark floaters to give the Sixers a four-point lead with less than three minutes to play. And then Jalen Brunson went to work. The Knicks’ All-Star point guard out of Villanova calmly sank two free throws.

He finished the game as the 76ers' leader in assists and steals and third in scoring behind Tyrese Maxey (30) and Kelly Oubre (27). George's only blemish in the game was his seven turnovers, which were his most of the season,

The Nets come into this game following a 100-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 12 in which Brooklyn continued to go back-and-forth with a 76ers team that was missing Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey due to injuries.

The 2024-25 NBA season continues with a seven-game slate on Monday night, including a Western Conference showdown between Oklahoma City and Houston at 8 p.m. ET. Oklahoma City is on a three-game winning streak and holds a 10.

The Sixers, now losers of nine straight, were led by the star duo of Tyrese Maxey (30 points, 12-of-32 from the field, 0-of-10 from three) and Paul George (25 points, seven assist