Former Kentucky star Tyrese Maxey scores 46 points to help 76ers beat Knicks in 2024 NBA Playoffs

For at least another 48 hours, Tyrese Maxey kept the Philadelphia 76ers’ season and whatever championship dreams they harbor alive.

No figure was more instrumental in the 76ers’ thrilling 112-106 overtime victory against the New York Knicks Tuesday night more than the former Kentucky guard, whose 46 points helped Philadelphia stave off elimination in its first-round NBA playoff series against the Knicks and leave open the possibility it can pull off the rare 3-1 comeback.

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He saved his best work for when his team needed it the most and did so under the bright Madison Square Garden lights.

Maxey scored seven points in the final 28 seconds of regulation to allow the 76ers to erase a 96-90 deficit and force overtime. He got to that mark by making a 3-pointer and, after being fouled by New York’s Mitchell Robinson, the ensuing free throw before adding yet another 3, this one from the edge of the midcourt logo, to tie the game with 8.1 seconds remaining.

"What was going through my mind was trying to survive," Maxey said after the game. "Our season is on the line. I trust my work. I trust what I've done all my life, and I just tried to get to a spot, raise up and knock that shot down."

He had five of his team’s 15 points in overtime to help it pull out the improbable win.

The game was the highlight for what was already a stellar playoff series for the 23-year-old Maxey, who has averaged 32.4 points, 7.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game in the five contests against the Knicks while shooting 50% from the field and 42.9% from 3. He’s second among all NBA players in playoff scoring this year, behind only New York’s Jalen Brunson.

His heroics Tuesday earned him comparisons to Reggie Miller, who once famously scored eight points in 8.9 seconds against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Like Miller that fateful day with Spike Lee, Maxey elicited several reactions from celebrities sitting courtside in Midtown Manhattan, including comedians Jon Stewart and Tracy Morgan.

Maxey played one season at Kentucky, earning second-team all-SEC honors in 2020 after averaging 14 points per game for a Wildcats team that finished 25-6, but didn’t get the chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tyrese Maxey stats

In his fourth NBA season, Maxey averaged a career-best 25.9 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game for the 76ers while shooting 45% overall, 37.3% from 3 and 86.8% from the free-throw line for the 76ers.

With that jump in production, Maxey was named the 2024 NBA most improved player.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Former Kentucky star Tyrese Maxey scores 46 points to help 76ers beat Knicks