Sixers-Knicks: Tyrese Maxey spearheads Game 5 overtime win at the Garden

Tyrese Maxey hit a four point play. And then he hit another three-pointer, tying the game for the Sixers with under a minute to play and ultimately saving the Sixers’ season.

Nick Nurse said, considering the circumstances, the 46-point performance was the best of Maxey’s career.

After what could have been Maxey’s dagger in Game 2 was overshadowed by Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo’s heroics for the Knicks, Maxey pulled the Sixers up off the mat in Game 5 to send the series back to Philadelphia with a signature moment of his own.

As it turns out, the reports of the Sixers’ death were greatly exaggerated.

Surely, the reports were only premature — it’s got to end badly sooner or later — but they’re not dead yet.

Not as long as Tyrese Maxey is running, Tobias Harris is hustling, and Joel Embiid is limping.

 Joel Embiid dove for the loose ball. Nick Nurse called timeout. And a crowd at Madison Square Garden that has spent so much of this first-round playoff series in a frenzy quietly began to file for the exits.

Then, Tyrese Maxey stepped to the free-throw line to cap an epic 46-point, nine-assist, season-saving effort.

The Sixers kept their 2023-24 season alive with a wild 112-106 overtime victory Tuesday night, forcing a Game 6 Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers came into the third quarter buzzing.

After getting outscored 32-17 in the second quarter, the Sixers retook the lead early and went shot-for-shot with the Knicks to close out the third.

Tyrese Maxey scored nine points and had two assists, and clutch three-pointers by Tobias Harris and Cam Payne helped keep the Sixers within one possession.

After missing Game 4 due to an injury that followed several controversial interactions with Sixers center Joel Embiid in Game 3, Knicks backup center Mitchell Robinson got some measure of revenge, helping the Knicks take a 49-43 lead into intermission of Game 5.

Two plays in particular sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into hysterics.

Robinson blocked an Embiid jumper to the delight of the Knicks’ faithful, who continue to razz the reigning MVP.

The Knicks made a big push in the second quarter, scoring 32 points to take the lead over the Sixers. 

Joel Embiid is still not scoring to his potential, adding five in the second quarter, but the Sixers’ struggle to compete in the minutes with him on the bench. The Knicks outscored the Sixers 11-2 with Embiid off the floor.

Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey each have 15 points, and Tobias Harris is 4-for-6 from the field with 10 points.

In keeping with a theme during the playoffs, a well-known New York Knicks supporter has criticized Sixers’ center Joel Embiid.

On Tuesday ahead of Game 5, former New York Knicks forward Charles Oakley said he doesn’t want to hear about Embiid being hurt.

Embiid, the NBA’s reigning MVP, missed significant time earlier this season with a knee injury. Last week, Embiid revealed that he has Bell’s Palsy, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face.

Just to raise your spirits, Sixers fans, it is exactly 10 years to the day since the last time a Philly team was eliminated from the playoffs at Madison Square Garden.

On April 30, 2014, the Flyers lost to the Rangers, 2-1, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals here. Steve Mason, the Flyers' goaltender, was spectacular, making 31 saves, but it wasn't enough to lift his team to the second round.

Trivia question: Do you know who scored the Flyers' only goal that night?

Joel Embiid is officially available to play in Tuesday’s Game 5 at the Knicks, after missing shootaround with a migraine headache.

Embiid entered Tuesday listed as questionable to play in the must-win game with left knee injury recovery, as he has been throughout this first-round series. He missed eight weeks during the regular season following a meniscus procedure in early February. The migraine symptoms could stem from the mild case of Bell’s Palsy he is currently managing, which is also affecting the left side of his face.

Embiid, the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player, is averaging 35 points, nine rebounds, and 5.5 assists in the series’ first four games. That includes a career-playoff-high 50-point outburst in Thursday’s Game 3 victory.

In Games 1 and 2, Knicks star Jalen Brunson was mostly ineffective. He led the Knicks in scoring in both games but shot 8-for-26 in Game 1 and 8-for-29 in Game 2.

But Brunson broke out for 86 total points in Games 3 and 4, including a Knicks playoff record 47 points in Game 4. So do the Sixers need to change anything defensively to contain him? Not according to Nick Nurse — aside from grabbing a few more defensive boards when he misses shots.

"I said it after both games one and two, that he's a great player and he's going to keep on firing and he's going to have some great games in the series," Nurse said prior to Game 5. "I think everybody goes up and down throughout a long series. He certainly has. The hardest part is, he goes for 47 in the last game and everyone goes, 'Aren’t you going to do something?’ But he had most of those in the first three quarters when we were up ten. So would you really change something? …

The Sixers have outscored the Knicks by 34 points with superstar Joel Embiid on the court. With him off the court? The Knicks have outscored the Sixers by 38 points.

Of course the Sixers are better with Embiid on the floor than off — he’s the reigning NBA MVP. But the drastic difference is stark in a series this tight, and with Embiid’s health in question.

Embiid is expected to play Tuesday night in Game 5, but is still questionable with a knee injury and missed the morning shootaround with a migraine, which he's been suffering from for weeks as he deals with a case of Bells palsy. Head coach Nick Nurse said he doesn’t have a specific minutes restriction on Embiid, but will still be looking to get him rest whenever they can.

The 76ers are approaching Game 5 the same way they did heading into their NBA Play-In Tournament victory over the Miami Heat.

“You can’t lose,” Nico Batum said of the Game 5 matchup against the New York Knicks.

Down 3-1, the Sixers are in a must-win situation to extend to the first-round series.

Joel Embiid missed Tuesday’s shootaround at The Garden ahead the Sixers’ win-or-go-home Game 5 with a migraine headache, per the team. That could be a lingering symptom of his mild case of Bell’s Palsy that he has been dealing with for about two weeks.

When talking publicly about the condition for the first time, Embiid said that “bad migraines” that began a day or two before the Sixers’ play-in victory over the Miami Heat are what prompted him to seek medical attention.

“Thought it was nothing,” Embiid said last Thursday, following his 50-point outburst in the Sixers’ Game 3 victory. “Usually, I don’t like to check it out. But for some reason, I ended up having to tell somebody.”

Tonight’s game at Madison Square Garden could be the final game of the Sixers’ season. The pressure is on, especially in a hostile road environment.

“It’s a high pressure game, for sure,” Nico Batum said at shootaround Tuesday morning. “That’s why you play this game, to play in those games. You’re ready for that. We’ve got a great coach, a great team for that. To play a big game in the Garden, you have to show up tonight.”

The Sixers haven’t won a game at the Garden yet in this series, with the Knicks winning the first two at home. In game two, they let a five-point lead with under a minute remaining slip away during a wild sequence. Missing just one offensive rebound on that critical possession ended up being the difference in the game.

The 76ers’ Joel Embiid is listed as questionable with a migraine headache for Tuesday’s Game 5 matchup against the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, teammate Kelly Oubre is listed probable with an illness for the first-round series game at Madison Square Garden.

Both players did not attend Tuesday’s shootaround.

The Sixers are looking to avoid elimination, trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

To extend their playoff series, the Sixers need to figure out a way to generate scoring when Joel Embiid’s out of the game.

One option would be to alter the starting lineup. They could start Nico Batum in place of Tobias Harris or Kelly Oubre Jr.

As a three-and-D forward, Batum doesn’t need the ball. The Sixers could assign him to cover Jalen Brunson or Josh Hart. Offensively, he could stretch the floor as a catch-and-shoot threat from the three-point line.

No big surprises here – Sixers star Joel Embiid is once again listed as questionable but expected to play Sunday against the New York Knicks.

Embiid missed the team's morning shootaround Tuesday with a migraine.

The Sixers star is still recovering from knee surgery and he's battling a mild case of Bell's palsy. Despite finishing with a team-high 27 points, Embiid appeared gassed in the fourth quarter of Game 4, where he was held to just one point and went 0-5 from the court.

The Sixers are back in New York City tonight looking to avoid elimination against the New York Knicks in their first-round NBA playoff series.

The game will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia beginning at 7:30 p.m., with Kate Scott and Alaa Abdelnaby on the call.

Sixers Pregame Live will air at 6:30 p.m., featuring Amy Fadool, Jim Lynam, and Marc Jackson. Sixers Postgame Live will air immediately following the game.