Prediction: New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers


Back to Philly

One good turn deserves another. In game two, the New York Knicks were on the verge of losing homecourt advantage in the series to the 76ers, down five with under 30 seconds to play. Two 3-point field goals later, the Knicks were on the winning end and heading to Philly with a 2-0 lead. On Tuesday night, the Knicks led the 76ers by six points with 30 seconds to play before allowing a four-point play and, after one made free throw, allowing a 3-point field goal to force overtime. In the overtime session, the Knicks seemingly ran out of steam and fell to the Sixers 112-106 to force a game six. The Knicks were led by another heroic effort by guard Jalen Brunson in the loss. Brunson poured in 40 points, giving him 126 points in the last three games. It was not enough as the sloppy Knicks made critical turnovers and mistakes down the stretch.

“It was a tough way to lose because you get up six, eight and then we had a couple turnovers and we’ve got to just be better,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Play tougher with the lead, use good judgement. Fourth quarter is different, understand the difference. So we can do better and we will.”

The Knicks took a major blow when it was announced that reserve forward Bojan Bogdanovic would be lost to the season with foot and wrist injuries that will require surgery. The Knicks’ bench had provided a spark, particularly in the first two games of the series when Brunson struggled from the floor. That will put additional pressure on a starting five that is starting to pile up minutes in this series. Brunson, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby are all averaging over 40 minutes per game in the series with Brunson and Hart both pushing close to and past 44 minutes per night. The Sixers lone scoring threat off the bench now is guard Deuce McBride. McBride is averaging 13 points per game in the series, more than starting guard Donte DiVincenzo who is averaging under 10 points per game. The Knicks will likely need a better performance from their starting guard going forward to advance.

Key Injuries: Bogdanovic is out for the season.

Sixers Survive

Philadelphia 76ers’ point guard Tyrese Maxey was not ready to go golfing for the summer. With his team trailing by six with 30 seconds to go, Maxey drained a three-point field goal and was fouled, converting the four-point play. Then, after the Knicks hit one of two free throws, Maxey calmly came down and sank a 3-point field goal from just beyond the logo to tie the game and force overtime. Maxey finished the game with 46 points, including seven 3-point field goals, and added 9 assists while Sixers center Joel Embiid limped through a triple-double of 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists to force a game six in what is turning out to be a thrilling series.

“I think that considering that our No. 1 option was struggling, for him to say, ‘All right, I got to put this team on my back and go,’ I just kept encouraging him, like, to take his chances, take his shots, make plays,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said of Maxey’s heroic performance. “And he certainly did it and got in a rhythm and made a whole bunch of them.”

The Sixers now live to fight another day in the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs. With Embiid limping through much of game five, the Sixers will once again have to lean on Maxey and hope that one of their other players can step up as well. Thus far in the series, Maxey and Embiid are providing 64 of the team’s nearly 107 points per game. Maxey looks capable of keeping up his scoring pace but Embiid may need more support. The Sixers next leading scorer is Kelly Oubre Jr., who is averaging just over 12 points per contest. In game five, Tobias Harris broke out with 19 points, his high for the series thus far. The Sixers have shortened their bench, with Buddy Hield missing each of the last two games and point guard Cameron Payne become a vital part of their eight-man rotation. Payne was solid in game five with six points on 2-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.

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