“I saw Tyrese Maxey get mugged” Stephen A. Smith Says 76ers Were Unfortunate To Not Get Late Call In Hard-fought Game 2 Loss to Knicks

On Monday night, NBA fans were reminded just how exciting playoff basketball can be. The New York Knicks faced the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup that went down to the wire and that was followed by another thrilling encounter between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets that was decided by a buzzer beater.

These close finishes are great for NBA fans but there always seems to be one team that is left frustrated by the final outcome. On Monday, that team turned out to be the Philadelphia 76ers.

Nick Nurse’s side had battled valiantly and held the advantage for long periods of the game and were up by five points entering the final 30 seconds. It was a chaotic finish with the Knicks scoring two late three-pointers from Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo to edge out a slender 104-101 win. Prior to DiVincenzo’s shot to take the lead, Tyrese Maxey had a case for a foul that would have locked up the victory for Philadelphia. The officials chose to not award him the foul at a critical stage.

“I saw Tyrese Maxey get mugged if I’m being totally honest,” said well-known television personality Stephen A. Smith on ESPN after the game. “He got fouled at least two or three teams. There’s no reason on earth why that call shouldn’t have been made. It wasn’t made, unfortunately for the Sixers. If you’re a New York Knicks fan, it’s not unfortunate.”

"I saw Tyrese Maxey get mugged if I'm being totally honest. He got fouled at least two or three times. There's no reason on Earth why that call shouldn't have been made.”

– @stephenasmith

(h/t @awfulannouncing ) pic.twitter.com/YPpXY5Sx3x

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 23, 2024

Maxey’s shirt seemed to be tugged on by Brunson shortly after the rebound and he was later shoved to the ground by Josh Hart. Head coach Nick Nurse also claimed he was trying to call a timeout during the confusion, which was not awarded.

The Sixers will travel back home looking to overcome a 2-0 deficit against a team they are 1-5 against this season. If they hope to have any chance of a deep playoff push, a win on Thursday is crucial.