Trailing by six factors with underneath 30 seconds left, the 76ers wanted a miracle to stave off elimination. Tyrese Maxey delivered.
Maxey drew a foul on Mitchell Robinson and drilled a leaning three-pointer to chop the result in three factors. Crucially, he made his free throw to finish the four-point play, one thing Josh Hart didn’t do on the opposite finish.
Hart cut up his free throws, retaining it a one-possession recreation and opening the door for one more powerful, game-tying triple from Maxey, which despatched the sport to extra time.
Within the further interval, the 76ers outlasted the Knicks for a 112-106 win, retaining them alive down 3-2 of their first-round collection.
Maxey completed with 46 factors, 9 assists and solely three turnovers in his 51 minutes. He saved his sizzling capturing going within the further interval, nailing a three-pointer that additionally gave Joel Embiid a triple-double.
Nursing a sore knee, Embiid nonetheless performed 47 minutes for the 76ers. He scored 19 factors, grabbed 16 rebounds and had 10 assists with 4 blocks. The reigning MVP additionally averted an undesirable quadruple-double, ending with 9 turnovers.
Jalen Brunson completed with 40 factors for the Knicks, and performed hero ball with numerous levels of success in OT. Brunson scored all 9 of the Knicks’ OT factors, took eight of the Knicks’ first 9 photographs of OT, and made three of them. He had two three-pointers, dedicated two turnovers and bought blocked twice.
Maxey now joins the pantheon of nice Madison Sq. Backyard playoff villains. His seven factors in 25 seconds would not fairly match Reggie Miller’s legendary eight factors in 9 seconds from 1995, however Knicks followers Tuesday evening could also be simply as devastated. Particularly since Reggie and the Pacers received that collection, too.
