The scene was Madison Square Garden, and the star was Tyrese Maxey.
In Tuesday’s win-or-go-home Game 5, the first-time All-Star scored seven points in the final 26 seconds of regulation to force overtime. Maxey went on to score a playoff career-high 46 points, lifting his team to a 112-106 victory and forcing Game 6.
“What’s going through my mind?” Maxey reflected postgame. “Find a way to survive. Season’s on the line.”
There were 16 lead changes and six ties in Game 5. The Knicks (3-2) led by as many as 10, and the 76ers (2-3) led by as many as nine.
“Tonight, that fourth quarter, that last minute - what [Tyrese] was able to do was spectacular,” Tobias Harris (19 pts, 8 reb) said postgame. “It was a big time game from a big time player.
Maxey called the strength of his own performance “mandatory.” He played 52 minutes.
Now, with the Sixers’ stakes just as high, the series shifts back to South Philadelphia.
The series features the three highest scorers in these playoffs, with New York’s Jalen Brunson (34.4 ppg) leading all scorers. Maxey (32.4 ppg) is second in scoring and Joel Embiid (31.8 ppg) is third.
Embiid - who recorded his first career playoff triple-double in Game 5, commended his co-star’s heroics postgame.
“[Tyrese] has always been like that. But tonight, based on the circumstances… He just had to do it. And he did it. That’s why he’s such an amazing basketball player.”
“I trust my work,” Maxey said after his career night. “I trust what I’ve done all my life. Just try to get to a spot, raise up, and knock a shot down.”
OPPONENT OUTLOOK
Brunson poured in 40 points, plus three rebounds, six assists, and three steals in Game 5 to lead New York.
Josh Hart - who played a game-high 53 minutes - added 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while OG Anunoby recorded 17 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
Miles McBride led the New York bench once again, finishing with 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting, plus four boards and four assists.
76ERS-KNICKS INJURY REPORT
Embiid (left knee injury recovery) is questionable for Game 6, while Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) is out.
For New York, Mitchell Robinson (left ankle sprain) is questionable, and Bojan Bogdanovic (left foot surgery) and Julius Randle (right shoulder surgery) are out.
TUESDAY’S TOP PERFORMANCES
Tyrese Maxey
- Maxey’s final line included his playoff career-high 46 points, five rebounds, and nine assists. He shot 17-for-30 overall and 7-for-12 from long range in a team-high 52 minutes.
Joel Embiid
- Embiid’s first career playoff triple-double included 19 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, a steal, and four blocks.
Tobias Harris
- Harris finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, an assist, and a block, on efficient 7-for-11 shooting overall and 3-for-6 from long range.
- Oubre tallied 14 points, four rebounds, two steals, and a block, shooting 6-for-13 from the field in his 39 minutes.
QUOTE TO NOTE
Embiid credited his teammates for their performances postgame:
“It went in our favor, thanks to Tyrese Maxey. He was unbelievable. Hitting big shots after big shots. Lots of credit to him. Tobias was amazing throughout the whole game. All my teammates, they did their job.”
FOLLOW ALONG
Game 6 Thursday is a 9 p.m. EDT start in South Philadelphia.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, TNT
Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic
UNIFORMS
The Sixers are scheduled to wear their blue Icon Edition uniforms, while the Knicks will wear their white Association Edition uniforms.
MISSED FREE THROWS MEAN MORE
The Sixers announced that their ‘Bricken for Chicken’ promotion (presented by Chick-fil-A) which proved pivotal in the team’s comeback victory in their Play-In win over Miami, will be in effect for the entirety of Game 6 (usually only active in the second half). Fans will win free chicken for any pair of New York missed free throws.
@SIXERS SOCIAL