Madison Square Garden was ready to explode Tuesday night. Tyrese Maxey had other plans.
The 76ers’ All-Star guard scored 46 points including seven in the frantic final 25 seconds of regulation to power Philadelphia to a 112-106 overtime win over the New York Knicks and stun a frenzied Madison Square Garden crowd. The win staves off elimination for the 76ers and sends the tense first-round series back to Philadelphia for Game 6 with New York leading, 3-2.
The 76ers looked defeated in regulation with New York holding a 96-90 lead with 28 seconds remaining. But Maxey scored an and-1 3-pointer to cut New York’s lead to 96-94.
Then with 8.1 seconds left on the clock, he pulled up from 34 feet tie the game at 97-97 and send the game to overtime.
There, the Knicks took a 102-97 lead on five straight points by Jalen Brunson. But the 76ers battled back to take a a 103-102 lead and rode a 9-0 run to a 106-102 advantage. Brunson then converted a flagrant foul on Joel Embiid into a four-point possession with a free throw and 3-pointer to tie the game at 106-106.
But the 76ers scored four unanswered points to retake the lead at 110-106 with 15.1 seconds remaining and never trailed again.
