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The Knicks‘ Game 5 loss to the 76ers, a 112-106 stunner in overtime at MSG on Tuesday, left a sour taste for New York after missing a chance to close out the first-round series.
Both sides, on opposite ends of a wild ending that saw the Knicks squander fourth-quarter and overtime leads, appeared ready to turn the page in the aftermath.
“It’s frustrating, obviously, the way it happened,” said Jalen Brunson, whose team-high 40 points were not enough to overcome New York’s late blunders. “But we can’t hang our heads. We’ve got to come back stronger and be ready to go and just learn from what we did.”
Tom Thibodeau, whose team pulled off an improbable 104-101 win last Monday to steal Game 2 from Philadelphia, shared the same sentiments as Game 6 looms Thursday at Wells Fargo Center.
“Whether you win or lose, the next day, come in, look at the film, make your corrections,” Thibodeau said. “There’s things we’ve got to fix. Fix ’em. Get ready for the next game. Understand what goes into preparing to win a game. That should never change.”
While the Knicks prevent a snowball effect in two days, Tyrese Maxey — fresh off a game-high 46 points, including game-saving buckets throughout the final moments of regulation — goes back to the drawing board with New York still holding a 3-2 lead.
“I know this is cliché or whatever, but I’m trying to flush the game,” Maxey said. ”I know what we have to do in 48 hours, and we can’t let this roll over. We have to watch this as a whole new game. Our season’s back on the line again.”
The best-of-seven set heads back down the New Jersey Turnpike, where the Knicks’ fan base maintained a noticeable presence in Games 3 and 4.
“I love it,” said Joel Embiid, whom New York fans showered with boos whenever he touched the ball en route to his 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting. “If I’ve got to be the punching bag and hear a lot of ‘F Embiid,’ that’s OK. I love it.”