The New York Knicks looked to advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. However, New York's plans were thwarted, as the squad lost their Game 5 matchup 112-105 in an overtime thriller. There were several areas of concern for the Knicks including their shooting, ball movement, and the play of Mitchell Robinson.
An NBA Playoff thriller at Madison Square Garden
New York entered Game 5 with confidence after beating the 76ers 97-92 in Game 4 two days prior. They put on a stout two-way performance to put Philadelphia's fires out. They hoped to end Philly's season on Tuesday night, but that was not the case.
Philadelphia had the definition of a clutch night. The 76ers massively benefitted from the heroics of Tyrese Maxey, who finished the game with a whopping 46 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. Maxey shot 56.7 percent from the field and 58.3 percent on three-pointers.
The star guard came up huge down the stretch for the 76ers. Philly was down by six points with roughly 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Then, Maxey got the ball, pumped faked, drew a foul on Mitchell Robinson, and completed a four-point play. His clutch shot cut the lead to three points going into the final seconds of the game. However, Maxey's work did not end there.
Philadelphia quickly advanced the ball up the court on the second-to-last possession of the game to cut the lead to one or tie. Maxey brought the ball past half-court and used a screen from Joel Embiid to sink a deep three that evened the score with eight seconds left.
The Knicks attempted to score at the last second, but Philly's defense pulled through. The game went to overtime where the 76ers continued to play hard and get the win.
New York had a great performance from Jalen Brunson, but Mitchell Robinson is the primary player in question for the team's disappointing defeat.
Knicks' Mitchell Robinson was at the wrong place at the wrong time
Robinson returned to action in Game 5 after being sidelined from a sprained ankle he suffered in New York's 125-115 Game 3 victory. It was great to see the big man back on the court protecting the paint for the Knicks, but he protected a little too strong on Tuesday night.
As mentioned, Robinson was responsible for the foul that gave Tyrese Maxey the opportunity for a four-point play. While he did not mean to make contact with the guard, his mistake arguably cost the Knicks the game. On top of that, Robinson had the duty of picking Maxey up during his second-clutch three-pointer and gave the guard a bit too much space, which allowed him to nail the deep-range jumper.
Admittedly, Robinson was in a tough situation. He wanted to contest without fouling the way he did on Maxey's first thrilling shot. Outside of Robinson's defensive breakdowns, he did not perform well offensively. He ended the night with just two points in 25 minutes.
Robinson's lack of offensive activity is to be expected given his brief hiatus and the Knicks' reliance on their guards and wings for scoring. The center may have had some down moments in Game 5, but he will return strong to help the Knicks close the 76ers out in Game 6.
Speaking of closing out, Philadelphia did plenty of that against New York's shooters on Tuesday night.
Culprit No. 2: shooting and ball movement
The Knicks did not shoot the ball well compared to earlier in the series. New York finished Game 5 with a lowly 27.8 percent accuracy on threes. Much of their poor shooting night was due to the 76ers' hounding perimeter defense.
Moreover, New York did not share the ball as well as the 76ers on Tuesday night. The Knicks totaled just 19 assists compared to Philadelphia's 28. One factor that contributed to their lack of ball movement was their reliance on Jalen Brunson, who ended the night with a team-high 40 points.
Brunson attempted to spoil Philly's late-game comeback with a buzzer-beater, but his shot was blocked, resulting in overtime and the eventual loss.
All in all, the Knicks lost a pivotal Game 5 to the 76ers. Yet, they hope to put Philly's run in the NBA Playoffs to an end in Game 6. Can New York rally and end the series to advance to the second round?
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