Embiid had a triple-double, but Philadelphia's winning hero was Maxey. It was his two crucial three-pointers in regulation time that led Philadelphia into overtime and ultimately pulled the team back from the brink. On May 1, 2024, Beijing time, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New York Knicks 112-106. Embiid had 19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, Maxey had 45 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists, and Brunson had 40 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists.
Before the start of the series, Philadelphia was once regarded as the most promising team in the East, but in the game against the Knicks, Philadelphia played disorganized. Even with Embiid's best efforts, Philadelphia still couldn't contain the Knicks on both ends of the floor. Brunson's strength gives the Knicks plenty of chances to win in the game, especially at critical moments, and the Knicks' calmness and diverse ways of dealing with them are the key to victory. Embiid was surrounded by Knicks players after the opening, and even if he could get shots, the shooting percentage was not high due to the increased defensive intensity. Fortunately, Maxey played well in this game, scoring 10 points in a single quarter, leading Philadelphia to build a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
A large part of the reason the Knicks were able to steal match points in the series was because they were resilient enough in the game. Although he only scored 17 points in the first quarter, after entering the second quarter, the Knicks found their touch, and Brunson took the lead, using breakthroughs to score points one after another, leading the Knicks to play an 18-2 offensive wave at the beginning of the second quarter and overtake the score in one fell swoop. Philadelphia's rhythm was disrupted by the Knicks, and their offense began to lose their crosshairs, and Embiid hit a three-pointer at the top of the arc, and Philadelphia still trailed the Knicks by five points. Brunson responded with a shot from beyond the three-point line and then fouled Maxey viciously, showing his hunger for victory. If Philadelphia wants to pull off a win to extend the series' hopes, role players will need to step up and help Embiid deal with the pressure. Batum hit a three-pointer, but didn't limit the Knicks on the defensive end, and McBride responded with a three-pointer. Embiid's singles began to work, but he alone could not withstand the indiscriminate bombardment of the entire Knicks team.
Yibian fought again, and Philadelphia launched a counterattack. Embiid was limited on the offensive end, but Komaci regained his touch and began to use the breakthrough to create damage on the offensive end, and under his leadership, Philadelphia overtook the score in one fell swoop. Brunson held the ball near the three-point line to instigate an attack, Hart received the cover and cut to the basket, Brunson scored in time to send, Hart scored the ball under the basket and caused a defensive foul, a 2+1 to overtake the score again. However, Philadelphia's offensive continuity in the third quarter was better than in the first half, when Embiid hit a big two-pointer at the top of the arc, only to foul Brunson on the way back. The offensive combination of Hart and Brunson helped the Knicks maintain stability on the offensive end, while Philadelphia kept the score tight, and at the end of the third quarter, the Knicks led Philadelphia by one point.
As Philadelphia's second core, Maxey showed a strong desire to attack in this game, and his breakthroughs caused damage on the inside many times, and Philadelphia quickly took the lead shortly after the start of the fourth quarter. Brunson was pulled down by Payne in the counterattack, and the two were pushed, but fortunately they were quickly pulled away by their teammates. Brunson's positive attitude boosted the morale of the Knicks players, and they launched a wave of 10-0 offensive to widen the margin to five points. After that, Ewing, Sprewell and other Knicks celebrities who watched the game from the sidelines stood up and applauded in celebration. Maxey scored 3+1, then hit a three-pointer on the counter, and the game went into overtime as Brunson's layup missed. In overtime, the Knicks scored five points in a row, Embiid made a basket and hit a foul free throw, and Oubre counterattacked and made a layup to overtake the score. Embiid's pull-up jump shot made it 2+1 again, and then gave Brunson a big hat. Brunson hit a three-pointer to tie the score, Oubre scored two points under the basket, and Brunson missed the pass. After Harris hit both free throws, Philadelphia led by four points. Although Brunson scored two points on the breakaway, Philadelphia's free throws were secure, and the Knicks were unable to win, and Philadelphia won on the road to tie the series at 2-3.