Tyrese Maxey (0) of the Philadelphia 76ers gestures after making a 3-pointer during the second half of Game 2 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, Monday, April 22, 2024 , in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
NEW YORK — Tyrese Maxey's body was aching and he was battling chills on his night off in New York.
He was dealing with a different kind of pain on Monday.
Maxey nearly led the Philadelphia 76ers to victory with a sensational fourth quarter, only to commit the turnover that led to Donte DiVincenzo's 3-pointer as the New York Knicks cruised to a 104-101 victory for a 2-0 lead in the first round series.
READ: NBA: Knicks make wild comeback to surprise 76ers with 2-0 lead
Maxey finished with 35 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds after missing the morning game, saying he started feeling sick Sunday night.
“I don't feel good at all, honestly. I mean, I don't like taking medicine, everyone knows that, I really can't stand taking medicine, but I took medicine, intravenously, I did everything they asked me to do,” said Maxey. “I wasn’t losing the game, so it didn’t matter.”
He opened the game with three consecutive 3-pointers for a 9-0 lead, and after the Knicks finally broke through in the third quarter, the All-Star point guard did his best work in the fourth.
READ: Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart help Knicks beat 76ers in Game 1
The speedy Maxey scored 15 points in the period, with his 3-pointer giving the Sixers a 100-96 lead with 1:09 remaining. But after the Knicks cut it to 101-99 on Jalen Brunson's 3-pointer, Philadelphia tried to get the ball to Maxey. He couldn't make a clean catch and fell to the court, with Josh Hart stripping the ball from him and the Knicks eventually getting it to DiVincenzo after an offensive rebound for a 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining.
“I can’t turn the ball over. We can’t lose the ball and we have to get the rebound,” said Maxey.
Maxey then had his drive to the basket blocked on the next possession with a chance to regain the lead, but it was the comeback on the previous play, when he was surrounded by Brunson and Hart, that proved most costly.
“I tried my best,” Maxey said.
The Most Improved Player award finalist scored 33 points in Game 1. But the Sixers have nothing to show for their strong play so far.
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“We need to put this behind us now,” Maxey said. “You have 48 hours to think about it and come up with a plan to take two home.”
