Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey stole the show Tuesday night, scoring seven points in the final 25 seconds to force overtime and eventually defeat the New York Knicks in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series at Madison Square Garden.
But on Wednesday, the NBA revealed in its Last Two Minute Report that one of Maxey’s game-changing plays in the final minute shouldn’t have counted. He traveled before launching a three-pointer from 25 feet with 25 seconds remaining.
“Maxey gathers the ball on his left foot, takes two legal steps, and then moves his right foot again just before he is fouled on his shot,” the report indicates.
Instead, no traveling violation was called, and Maxey drilled the three-pointer and the free throw to cut the Knicks’ lead to two points.
If the travel had been called, the Knicks would’ve been awarded the ball with a six-point lead and 25 seconds left. The 76ers would be forced to foul, and the game likely ends in a Knicks win if they avoided turnovers and knocked down free throws.
The Last Two Minute Report also indicated that Knicks guard Josh Hart was not out of bounds with 41 seconds left in overtime when he tried to tap a loose ball to teammate Isaiah Hartenstein underneath the basket.
Instead of Hartenstein getting a chance to tie the game at 108, it was ruled a turnover. The 76ers went on to outscore the Knicks 4–0 the rest of the game to secure the victory.
The Knicks, up 3–2 in the series, will get another chance to end Philadelphia’s season on Thursday in Game 6 at Wells Fargo Center.
The NBA postseason is when players forge their legacies—and Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey just solidified his status as a true star with a legacy-defining Game 5 against the New York Knicks.
Maxey thrived during the regular season after being thrust into a bigger role by the departure of James Harden and Joel Embiid’s injury in late January. He averaged a career-best 25.9 points per game—11th in the NBA—and was rewarded by being named the league’s Most Improved Player last week.
With Embiid clearly hobbled by his troublesome left knee, the Sixers needed Maxey to save the day as they faced elimination in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden—and he absolutely did. Maxey hit two of the most clutch shots you’ll ever see in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.
The Knicks appeared to have the game wrapped up after Jalen Brunson passed out of a double team to a wide-open Miles McBride, who knocked down a jumper at the foul line to extend the New York lead to six with 28.9 seconds on the clock. But then Maxey took over, and, thanks in part to a couple of errors by the Knicks, saved his team’s season.
First Maxey used a pump fake to get Knicks center Mitchell Robinson to leave his feet and leaned into Robinson to draw the foul as he threw up an off-balance three-point attempt. He got the shot to fall and then hit the ensuing free throw for a four-point play to cut the deficit to two. Then, after Josh Hart missed one of two free throws to leave the door open for a comeback, Maxey buried the shot of the playoffs thus far: a leaning 35-footer to tie the game at 97.
On the Knicks’ home broadcast on MSG Network, play-by-play announcer Mike Breen repeatedly stressed before Philadelphia’s final possession how New York couldn’t allow a three-point attempt and needed to foul the Sixers. But Embiid’s screen near the halfcourt line gave Maxey plenty of space and his decision to shoot it from so far out meant Robinson wasn’t remotely close enough to give the foul.
Maxey’s heroics defined the fourth quarter, but the story of the overtime period was just the Knicks blowing it. They jumped out to a quick five-point lead before the Sixers responded with a 9–0 run. The Knicks managed to tie the game again at 106 but the Sixers scored the final six points of the game to win it. Any chance of a Knicks victory was essentially wiped out when, after New York forced a sloppy Sixers turnover with Philadelphia leading 108–106 with 28 seconds to play, Jalen Brunson turned it right back over with an ill-advised pass.
Maxey finished with 46 points, a playoff career high and the fourth-highest total of his career. He’s averaging 32.4 points, 7.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game during the series.
The Sixers will need Maxey to step up again as the series shifts back to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Thursday night. Embiid has had his moments during the series—including a 50-point outburst in Game 3—but his knee was clearly bothering him more in Game 5 than it had previously. He made plenty of great plays, but his mobility was severely lacking. He finished with 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and a staggering nine turnovers, which tied a career worst.
If Embiid’s knee isn’t any better on Thursday, the pressure will be on Maxey to be the hero again and force a Game 7 back in New York. After willing his team to victory on Tuesday, everyone knows he’s capable of that.
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Brunson poured in 14 of his game-high 41 points in the fourth quarter to help the New York Knicks advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 118-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, doing so in a familiar setting at the Wells Fargo Center, where he played some of the biggest games of his college career for the Wildcats.
At one point, Brunson, after hitting a clutch shot in the fourth quarter, appeared to look skyward at Villanova's 2016 championship banner hanging in the rafters.
Then, during a postgame interview with TNT's Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, Brunson made sure that Smith, an alum of the University of North Carolina, didn't forget the 2016 national championship game, where the Wildcats defeated the Tar Heels.
Jalen: "Is this Kenny?"
Kenny: "Yes it is!"
Jalen: "2016 banner Kenny!" 😂
Brunson had to remind Kenny of Villanova's 2016 Championship after the W in Philly 🤣 pic.twitter.com/XAkpe73k0g
Barkley began the interview by asking Brunson if he felt that Philadelphia was a special place for him to play. Brunson replied that he believes it "definitely" is, pointing out the program's three championship banners. Then, it was Smith's turn to ask a question.
Brunson, hearing Smith's voice, asked, "Is this Kenny?"
"Yes it is!" Smith affirmed.
"2016 banner, Kenny," Brunson said, as Smith and his TNT peers burst into laughter.
Well played by Brunson, who couldn't resist a little trolling at Smith's expense, reminding him of his Wildcats' 77-74 win over Smith's Tar Heels back in April 2016.
Brunson and the Knicks will next take on the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, which begins May 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson had an all-time series during the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers, culminating with a dominant 41-point performance to close out the Sixers in Game 6 on Thursday night.
During the final four games of the series, Brunson truly came into his own, scoring a total of 167 points during that span. He scored no fewer than 39 points in any of those four games, making him the first player since Michael Jordan in 1993 to score 37 or more points in four consecutive playoff games, according to Justin Russo of Russo Writes.
Additionally, Brunson becomes the first player since Oscar Robertson to score 35 points and record 10 assists in three separate games in a single playoff series, another nod to the historic run the 27-year-old went on to help New York reach the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Brunson, who had 39 points in Game 3, is the first Knicks player since Bernard King to record 40+ points in three straight playoff games. King achieved the feat in four consecutive games back in 1984.
Brunson rarely saw the bench during his torrid four-game stretch, too, logging at least 44 minutes in every game during that span, as Tom Thibodeau leaned heavily upon his star guard to close out the series for the Knicks
He'll look to keep his dominating offensive play going when New York takes on the Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals.
