Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey (0) shoots over New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson (11), Mitchell Robinson (23) and Josh Hart (3) during the second half of Game 5 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. The 76ers won 112-106 in overtime. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers have been engaged in a five-game rock fight where grit, determination, and hustle have determined the winner of each game. When it appeared the Knicks were finally getting ready to deliver the knockout blow and close out the series Tuesday night, Tyrese Maxey picked the 76ers off the mat, scoring a flurry of seven points in 30 seconds to keep the series alive.
“Maxey had a huge game on us,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said (h/t MSG Network). “He’s explosive. It doesn’t take much to get him going, and so we gave him too much, and once he got in rhythm he was hard to slow down.”
Maxey had dropped a career-high 46 points by the time the dust settled in overtime, giving Philadelphia a chance to tie the series at home on Thursday. As is the case with every other game in this series, the team that wins the rebounding battle wins. The return of Mitchell Robinson did not help New York on the glass as 76ers center Joel Embiid snatched a game-high 16 rebounds en route to his first career playoff triple-double.
“I love New York. New York is my favorite city in the world,” Embiid said, the reigning MVP drawing the ire of the Knicks faithful this series. “It usually gets me going in those situations because you want to put yourself in those situations and kind of shut them up.”
It has taken two historical performances from Embiid and Maxey to even give Philadelphia a chance in this series. Yet, the 76ers find themselves 48 minutes away from forcing a winner-take-all Game 7 where anything can happen. The message in the Knicks locker room postgame though was clear; it’s time to move…
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