MAY 2, 2024 — The 2023-24 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the action continues as we move into some of the latter stages of a few first-round series. One of the games on tap from today’s slate features the Philadelphia 76ers (50-38) hosting the New York Knicks (53-34).
Here is a look at how this series has unfolded thus far.
Tipoff
When: Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
TV: TNT, MSG, and NBCS-PH
Philadephia 76ers vs. New York Knicks – Series Recap & Trends
Can The 76ers Extend The Series To A Seventh Game?
The Sixers dropped three of the first four games and needed a miracle to stay alive against a Knicks squad that seemed destined to move on to the conference semifinal round for the second straight season.
With their backs against the wall, the Sixers managed to stay alive, pulling out a 112-106 OT win over New York in Game 5. Four of the Sixers’ starting unit scored in double figures.
Tyrese Maxey led the team’s scoring attack with 46 points on 17-for-30 shooting from the field and an impressive 7-for-12 effort from beyond the arc. The Sixers’ point guard also added nine assists and five rebounds. Maxey’s superb effort was not lost on his head coach.
“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. “And he certainly did it and got in a rhythm and made a whole bunch of them.”
Tobias Harris contributed 19 points and eight rebounds while knocking down seven of his 11 field goal attempts. Joel Embiid, who was averaging a league-best 35.0 PPG in the postseason, missed the team’s shootaround due to a headache. He finished with 19 points, 16 boards, and 10 dimes.
Philadelphia has been bounced in the second round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. Can they stave off elimination once again to force a seventh and deciding game?
Can The Knicks Bounce Back From Disappointing Game 5 Loss?
The Knicks had all the momentum heading into Game 4, and they appeared to be headed to a close-out victory on Tuesday night. But they could not seal the deal, allowing the Sixers to live to see another day.
Jalen Brunson pumped in 40 points, along with six assists, three boards, and three steals. Josh Hart added 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while OG Anunoby contributed 17 points (7-for-12 FG) and six rebounds.
New York basically had the game won but made a couple of crucial missteps in the waning moments. Maxey converted a four-point play with 25 seconds left in regulation. Following Hart’s splitting of a pair of free throws, the defense allowed Maxey to step into a 35-foot three-point shot, tying the game at 97 with eight seconds left, and the rest is history.
The Knicks know they let one slip through their fingers, and they have to try to close out the series on the road against a confident Sixers team.
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