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Brianna Williams, ESPN
The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t ready to head to Cancun just yet.
Trailing by six points with 28 seconds remaining in regulation during Tuesday’s Game 5, the 76ers had a win probability of 4.6%, but they kept their postseason run intact with a 112-106 overtime victory over the New York Knicks.
Reminiscent of the Knicks overcoming a five-point deficit in Game 2 of this first-round series, the 76ers became the first team in the past 25 playoffs to overcome a deficit of at least six points in the final 30 seconds of regulation.
With 46 points, a playoff career high, Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia in scoring and passed Allen Iverson for the most points to avoid elimination in 76ers history.
Maxey’s most impactful contributions came at the end of regulation, when he scored or assisted on the Sixers’ final 11 points, including his two 3-pointers on consecutive possessions (one with an and-1) to send the game to OT.
His late-game heroics caught the attention of LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes and more.
TYRESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BANG ‼️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 1, 2024
Crazy!!!!
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) May 1, 2024
Tyrese Maxey!!!!!
— andre (@andre) May 1, 2024
TYRESE MAXEY OH MY GOODNESS 😭
— Immanuel Jaylen Quickley (@IQ_GodSon) May 1, 2024
t.maxxy thats big time bro
— Jordan Clarkson (@JordanClarksons) May 1, 2024
@TyreseMaxey is like that and a star is born….
— Vince Carter (@mrvincecarter15) May 1, 2024
Ooooooou Maxey #ForTheLoveOfPhilly
— C.J. Gardner-Johnson (@CGJXXIII) May 1, 2024
Maxey so tough😮💨!!! Max deal him plz!
— Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) May 1, 2024
The Maxey show continued in overtime, as he scored the Sixers’ opening points on a 25-foot step-back jumper then closed out the win with two free throws.
76ers big man Joel Embiid notched his first playoff triple-double with 19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Maxey and Embiid are the fifth pair of teammates in NBA history to combine for a 40-point game and a triple-double while facing elimination.
New York leads the series 3-2 as it heads back to Philly for Game 6 on Thursday.
ESPN Stats and Information contributed to this story.
Source: www.espn.com