Things move fast in the NBA playoffs, so to help you stay on top of things, from now through at least the end of the second round, we will have nightly takeaways from the postseason action.
Tyrese Maxey’s legacy performance saves 76ers season
These NBA playoffs have been about “who’s got next,” a changing of the guard in the NBA. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James are all home five games into the first round (Curry’s Warriors didn’t even make it that far). In their place, the next generation of stars has stepped up: Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, and Paolo Banchero.
Tuesday night it was Tyrese Maxey’s star turn, and under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. The 76ers 23-year-old guard knocked down two critical 3-pointers — one a four-point play — in the final 25 seconds of regulation to force overtime.
MAXEY DRILLS ANOTHER 3 AND TIES THE GAME 🤯🤯🤯
— NBA (@NBA) May 1, 2024
GAME 5 IS HEADED TO OVERTIME ON TNT 🍿 https://t.co/EdhU7mHKQB pic.twitter.com/od3bVWXHMH
In a game the 76ers had to win to keep their season alive, Maxey finished with 46 points and nine assists, leading Philadelphia to a 112-106 overtime win (the Knicks still lead the series 3-2, with game six back in Philadelphia on Thursday). Maxey had quieted the New York crowd and was the one screaming in celebration at the end.
“I was saying some things that my grandma probably wouldn’t like,” Maxey said of his postgame celebration.
Maxey didn’t come out of nowhere. He was an All-Star this season and was voted the Most Improved Player. But NBA legacies are built in the playoffs, and Maxey just started to build his legacy with a massive game nobody in Philly will soon forget.
Tyrese Maxey has arrived.
Did Indiana miss its chance?
The Indiana Pacers had a chance to close out the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 Tuesday night. Instead, a young team in its first playoffs learned a hard lesson about closing a desperate team out. The Pacers didn’t come close, losing by 23.
It’s not a big deal, right? Indiana is headed home up 3-2. They can close it out Thursday night in front of a friendly home crowd, where a collapse like in the second and third quarters of Game 5 will not happen.
Except, the Bucks could have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard back for that game.
“I think they’re very, very, very close,” Doc Rivers said postgame.
If — and we understand “if” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this sentence — one or both of Milwaukee’s stars return for Game 6, it could flip the series and the young Pacers will suddenly face a Game 7 on the road.
Things turn quickly in the playoffs, and if the Bucks stars return and change the vibe, Indiana may regret its Game 5 performance.
Evan Mobley’s block spark Cavaliers needed
Appearing on a syndicated sports show Tuesday, I said the Cavaliers needed Donovan Mitchell to step up and be the best player in this series if Cleveland was going to advance and be the threat they believed themselves to be.
The Cavaliers kind of got that Tuesday in a critical Game 5 — Mitchell finished the night with a team-high 28 points. However, it was the 17 first-quarter points from Darius Garland that sparked the Cavaliers, and then in the final seconds, it was Evan Mobley’s block on Franz Wagner that saved the win.
WHAT A BLOCK FROM EVAN MOBLEY 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) May 1, 2024
Spida hits 2 FT's... Cavs up 4 with 3.2 seconds remaining on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/0NIuHYrIVg
This was almost Paolo Banchero’s star-turn night — along with Maxey — as the All-Star scored 39. The difference between them is that Banchero’s team didn’t force overtime and then get the win, and Banchero’s effort was in Cleveland, not Madison Square Garden. Still, it was a monster night from another of the league’s emerging stars.
The Cavaliers got the win and are now up 3-2 in the series heading into Game 6 on Thursday night in Orlando. That is going to be a tough place to close out the series, and Cleveland is going to need the best of Mitchell, Garland, and Mobley to do it.
