The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers have played five intense games in their first round playoff series, and Game 5 may have been the wildest of all.
The Knicks led the Sixers 96-90 with 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter and appeared poised to pull away with a win in the series. Tyrese Maxey had other plans.
Maxey hit a clutch 3-pointer and got fouled by Mitchell Robinson with 25 seconds left. Maxey hit the free throw to convert the four-point play and cut the lead to 96-94. At that point, the Knicks still had an 86% chance to win the game, according to Action Network's moneyline probability tracker.
The 76ers fouled Josh Hart, who could ice the game with two free throws. But Hart, who played a game-high 53 minutes, split a pair of free throws to leave the door open, and Maxey once again hit a clutch shot to tie the game.
MAXEY DELIVERS IN THE CLUTCH
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 1, 2024
WE'RE HEADING TO OT! pic.twitter.com/SCI4aNRPMY
From there, the 76ers carried the momentum from the last 28 seconds into overtime. The Sixers outscored the Knicks 15-9 in the final five minutes, while New York continued to make crucial mistakes late. Brunson split a pair of free throws off a flagrant foul call on Joel Embiid and had a critical turnover with a chance to tie the game at 108.
The loss was especially brutal for Knicks bettors who took the Knicks on the moneyline or bet the under. The Knicks closed as -170 favorites, and 81% of the money bet on the moneyline landed on the Knicks. As for the total, 93% of the money bet on the total landed on over 204, and it had a 21% chance of hitting before the Sixers forced overtime.
Those six are sure to live in infamy.
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