BBNBA Playoffs: Maxey's 76ers come up short, Fox leads Spurs to blowout

Wednesday night’s NBA Playoff games gave us one thriller and one stinker. Let’s talk about them.

We’ll start with the fun stuff. In a game that featured 25 lead changes — the most in a playoff game in 11 years — and 14 ties, it was the (2) New York Knicks that came out on top against the (7) Philadelphia 76ers in a 108-102 Game 2 victory. Neither team led by more than seven points in a matchup that was mostly controlled by Philly in the first half before a late rally by the Knicks pushed them over the edge. The game was tied at 99-99 with six minutes to go before New York took control and went up 2-0 in the series.

Both of the former Wildcats in this showdown performed well, too. Tyrese Maxey, who played all but 72 seconds in this game, was asked to shoulder an even larger offensive load than normal with Joel Embiid sidelined due to multiple injuries. The All-Star guard dropped 26 points and six assists, but shot just 9-23 from the field (1-6 3PT) and turned the ball over six times. It was a much better outing than his 13-point showing in Game 1. Maxey was especially on fire in the second quarter with 15 points, but he and his crew ran out of gas late.

On the other side, Karl-Anthony Towns could only manage 27 minutes due to foul trouble (surprise, surprise), but he still posted a double-double anyway. Towns went for 20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists on 6-8 shooting. But his best moment came when 76ers center Andre Drummond was trying to poke a ball loose that was stuck on the top of the backboard. After several failed attempts, Towns stepped in and jarred it free after one attempt. It made for a funny interaction with Maxey and a postgame reference to Kentucky and former head coach John Calipari.

KAT: "It seemed like they were struggling. I wanted to get the game going. I already had a hot hand. I didn't say anything to Andre…but I did say something to Maxey…he walked up to me and I was like I went to Kentucky longer than you so I have a little more experience with… https://t.co/ndFeXwAMNi pic.twitter.com/roOgmBW0q5

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 7, 2026

Game 3 shifts back to Philadelphia on Friday night (7:00 p.m. ET | Prime Video) in what will be a must-win for the 76ers.

Fox, Spurs blowout Randle, Wolves

The (6) Minnesota Timberwolves stunned the (2) San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of this series, but Game 2 was all about revenge. The Spurs had this one in the bag before halftime, cruising to a 133-95 blowout win, knotting the series at 1-1 along the way.

San Antonio’s former Wildcats played well in limited time, too. De’Aaron Fox recorded 16 points on 5-10 shooting in 25 minutes, while Keldon Johnson added nine points (2-8 FG) and 10 rebounds in his 28 minutes on the floor. The Spurs led by 24 points at halftime and were up by as many as 47 in the fourth quarter. Victor Wembanyama chipped in 19 points and 15 rebounds for good measure. 133 points marked San Antonio’s highest in a playoff game since 1983.

Despite having Anthony Edwards back in the rotation for the second straight game, the Timberwolves could not replicate their Game 1 magic. Edwards only scored 12 points, which was tied with three of his teammates for the most on the team. Julius Randle was one of them, tacking on five rebounds and four rebounds (but with five turnovers) in his 27 minutes.

Game 3 on Friday night (9:30 p.m. ET | Prime Video) will move to Minneapolis.

Wednesday night’s stats

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	108-102 L @ NYK	26	9-23 (1-6)	3	6	1	0	6	0	46
Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)	108-102 W vs. PHI	20	6-8 (1-1)	10	7	1	0	3	6	27
De’Aaron Fox (SAS)	133-95 W vs. MIN	16	5-10 (2-2)	0	2	2	0	1	24	25
Julius Randle (MIN)	133-95 L @ SAS	12	4-10 (0-2)	5	2	2	0	5	-26	27
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	133-95 W vs. MIN	9	2-8 (0-1)	10	1	0	1	1	28	19

Tonight in the NBA Playoffs

TIME/TV	MATCHUP	SERIES
7:00 p.m. ET | Prime Video	(4) Cavaliers (Sarr) @ (1) Pistons	DET leads 1-0
9:30 p.m. ET | Prime Video	(4) Lakers (Vanderbilt: doubtful) @ (1) Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace)	OKC leads 1-0

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