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, then 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 😱
WE'RE HEADING TO OT! pic.twitter.com/SCI4aNRPMY
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 1, 2024
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 bettors who took the Knicks on the moneyline, but great for those who bet the over. 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.
