The 76ers (1-3) visit the New York Knicks (3-1) Tuesday at Madison Square Garden for Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.
The Sixers fell, 97-92, at home on Sunday afternoon. Philadelphia led by 10 points after the first quarter and again early in the third quarter.
Now, what’s the approach facing a win-or-go-home game on the road?
“The message you send is it’s first to four,” Tyrese Maxey said immediately following the setback. “They got three already, so we got to go up there and fight for our lives, fight for our season. That’s what it is.”
76ers Head Coach Nick Nurse offered his thoughts on the Knicks’ comeback:
“We didn’t shoot the ball very well tonight. And I thought once we got a 10-point lead, I think we turned it over three of the next four possessions. We had really great rhythm going and it’s almost like we took ourselves out of rhythm with those turnovers. I mean we were really rolling there and then it got a little difficult to find a rhythm. And then listen, we executed a lot of stuff, making the right reads, and didn’t knock some of those shots down. Missed a couple of layups. There were some clunky possessions here and there. It’s playoffs and both teams have those, but mostly [we] just needed to knock a few of those in and finish a little tougher at the rim.”
Jalen Brunson scored a playoff career-high 47 points for New York.
OPPONENT OUTLOOK
Jalen Brunson’s 47 points Sunday in Philadelphia set a Knicks franchise scoring record for a single playoff game. Brunson added 10 assists, four rebounds, and a blocked shot in 43 minutes of play.
OG Anunoby notched a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double with three blocks in 47 minutes. Josh Hart shot 0-for-7 from the field (4-8 ft), but grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds and also blocked three shots in 46 minutes. Miles McBride added 13 points off the bench.
76ERS-KNICKS INJURY REPORT
For Philadelphia on the Game 5 injury report, Joel Embiid (left knee injury recovery) is questionable and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) is out.
New York’s Bojan Bogdanovic left the previous game with a left foot contusion and is now out, while Julius Randle (right shoulder surgery) remains out. Mitchell Robinson (left ankle sprain) - who did not play Sunday - is questionable. Jalen Brunson (right knee contusion) and Jericho Sims (right shoulder inflammation) are probable.
SUNDAY’S TOP PERFORMANCES
Joel Embiid
- In 44 minutes versus New York in Game 4, Embiid had a final stat line of 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Tyrese Maxey
- Maxey posted 23 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a steal in 43 minutes.
- In 40 minutes of Game 4 action, Oubre Jr. tallied a new playoff career-high of 19 points.
- Harris posted 10 points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes.
QUOTE TO NOTE
Tyrese Maxey on the team’s confidence level…
“It's a confident group, honestly. We've been through a lot this year and we know that. When adversity hits, we know how to bounce back from it. And I think we feel like we're very capable of winning three games in a row. I'll say that first and foremost. We've been very, very, very close in a lot of these games. Game 2 and [Game 4], for sure, we feel like we should've won. So we'll take that confidence over there and try to go win. That's all we can do.”
FOLLOW ALONG
Game 5 Tuesday is a 7 p.m. EDT start at Madison Square Garden.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, TNT
Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic
UNIFORMS
The Sixers are scheduled to wear their white Association Edition uniforms, with the Knicks in their blue City Edition uniforms.
@SIXERS SOCIAL