Philadelphia’s season seemed destined to die Tuesday in the Garden.
Then Tyrese Maxey turned destiny around with an all-time playoff performance.
First his last-minute blitz and logo 3 forced overtime. Then his dominant night helped the Sixers pull out a 112-106 come-from-behind Game 5 win at the sold-out Garden that staved off elimination.
“Going through my mind right there was just, find a way to survive,” Maxey said. “We had to [win]. Our season on the line.”
Maxey poured in a game-high 46 points, including seven in the frenetic final 26 seconds of regulation with Joel Embiid struggling.
“It went in our favor thanks to Tyrese Maxey,” Embiid said. “He was unbelievable. Hitting big shots after big shots. Especially, with everything going on. Tobias [Harris] was amazing throughout the whole game. I think all my teammates. They did their job. Yeah. We got the win.”
With Philadelphia down 96-90 with just 25 seconds left, Maxey converted an absurd four-point play to pull them within two.
And with 8.1 seconds left on the clock, the All-Star pulled up from 35 feet and drilled a game-tying 3-pointer.
“We had to get it up the floor quick and get a 3-ball up, right? I’m glad we didn’t try to mess around and try to keep working for something or whatever. We had a little play call that has a counter to it and one of the options is just him pulling up,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said of the 35-footer. “And I know that was a deep one, but he raced it up there and took his chance.”
Maxey added nine assists and five rebounds.
He shot 17-for-30 from the floor and 7-for-12 from behind the arc. After drilling those 3-pointers late in regulation, he hit another to spur the Sixers’ overtime run of nine unanswered points.
After that, it was over.
On to Game 6, because of Maxey.
The usually affable guard seemed focused, driven and almost angry on Tuesday.
“Yeah he’s always been like that,” Embiid said. “But [Tuesday] obviously based on the circumstances and knowing what was needed based on what was happening about me not being able to be myself, he just had to do it. And he did it. That’s why he’s such an amazing basketball player. He’s great, but just his attitude.
“All of us. We knew we always had it. But it’s only one. We’ve just gotta keep going. and … pray that we’ll all be much better. But I think we still haven’t played our best basketball So I was terrible, but I’m hoping that I can’t be better and you’re going to be sure.”
