The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t had much success at Madison Square Garden this year. They might’ve split the two regular-season games, picking up one win and one loss, but the first road stand of the first-round series against the New York Knicks resulted in an 0-2 stretch.
On Tuesday night, the Sixers’ season was on the line at MSG. After losing Game 4 at home, the Sixers were in a do-or-die situation for Game 5, and they did everything in their power to keep the season alive.
Philly’s first win of the 2024 NBA Playoffs was led by an Embiid masterclass. On Tuesday, it was the other All-Star, Tyrese Maxey, who put the team on his back.
Through the first half, Maxey was having himself a solid outing, scoring 15 points in 22 minutes. But his second-half performance was nothing short of spectacular.
Playing every second in the second half, Maxey knocked down ten of his 14 shots from the field successfully. He drilled all but one of his six threes, scoring 26 points.
Maxey was responsible for the game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, which allowed the Sixers to force overtime. Once they got there, Maxey added another five points to his total as the Sixers escaped MSG with a 112-106 victory.
“We got two more!”
After the game, Maxey was spotted motivating Joel Embiid, showing clear confidence in the Sixers’ ability to keep the ball rolling after a dramatic Game 5.
“I got you,” Embiid said.
Battling multiple setbacks while logging career-high postseason minutes, Embiid has gone through a lot in the first five games of the playoffs.
On Tuesday, the big man had his toughest showing of the series. Checking in for 47 minutes, Embiid made just seven of his 19 shots from the field. He scored 19 points, with just seven of them coming during the second half.
Fortunately, Embiid didn’t have to be Philly’s superhero on Tuesday night, but the Sixers will need him recharged and ready for Game 6.
The Sixers and the Knicks are set to tip-off at 9 PM ET on Thursday.
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