Sixers’ Season Ends With Tight Game 6 Loss vs. Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers’ season has come to an end.

With the Knicks sealing the deal, they are moving on to the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The Sixers will enter the offseason early, looking ahead to next year.

The Sixers nearly saw their season end on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. As they trailed two possessions in the final minute, it took a Tyrese Maxey masterclass in the fourth quarter to help the Sixers force overtime.

Philly took advantage of the moment. Silencing a hostile New York crowd, the Sixers forced a Game 6 in South Philly on Thursday night.

Coming out of the gate in Game 6, the Sixers didn’t look like the team that was fighting for its season. Aside from the star center, Joel Embiid, the Sixers struggled to put points on the board at first. Meanwhile, the Knicks hit their stride almost immediately and went on an early run.

Once again, the Sixers found themselves trailing in the rebounding department. With 19 boards, compared to the Sixers’ 13, the Knicks found themselves plenty of second-chance opportunities. As they shot nearly 50 percent from the field on the offensive end, the Knicks outscored the Sixers 36-22 through the first quarter of action.

As the Sixers closed out the first quarter of action, they started showing signs of life. That carried on into the second quarter, as Philly would heat up from the floor. The Sixers received an unexpected boost from their mid-season trade acquisition, Buddy Hield.

Heading into Game 6, Hield totaled just 29 minutes on the court. He was shooting 14 percent from the field, leaving head coach Nick Nurse to keep him off the floor in critical moments. However, Game 6 was a different story.

Putting Hield on the floor for an offensive spark, the Sixers’ sharpshooter got hot and gave the Sixers just what they needed as they looked to climb back. Once trailing by double digits, the Sixers got out in front with a little over one minute left to play in the first half.

Hield produced 17 points off the bench as he knocked down five of his seven shots, all of which were from beyond the arc. With a 32-15 run in the second quarter, the Sixers led the Knicks at halftime by three points.

The momentum switch carried over for the Sixers at the start of the second half. After establishing a small lead, the Sixers’ starting unit started building on their lead and taking control of the matchup.

They couldn’t run too far with it, though. As the Knicks remained within arm’s reach, New York managed to even the score at 83 in the final seconds of the third quarter. With their season on the line, the Sixers needed to put everything into their fourth-quarter performance.

The trend of the series continued, as the Knicks and the Sixers continued to engage in a close battle for Game 6 throughout the final minutes of the matchup.

Although the Sixers were in the driver’s seat early on in the second half, the Knicks managed to find a ton of success from the field when it mattered. Meanwhile, the Sixers struggled to keep up just as the Knicks were striking.

In the closing minutes, the Knicks looked to be running away with the lead. As they gained a three-possession lead, the Sixers proved once again they weren’t ready to go out like that. With a little over 30 seconds left to go, the Sixers tied the game 111-111.

Coming out of a timeout, the Knicks quickly grabbed a three-point bucket, forcing the Sixers into a timeout with just 24 seconds left to go. The Sixers hit back with a bucket of their own in the paint. Trailing by one, Philly committed an intentional foul. Unfortunately, it was Joel Embiid’s sixth, which took him off the floor with 11 seconds left.

The big man finished the game with 39 points and 13 rebounds in 40 minutes.

The Sixers couldn’t capitalize on their final offensive possession. Trailing by three, Philly put the ball in Buddy Hield’s hands for the final shot of the game. Throwing up a Hail Mary, Hield was unsuccessful, leaving the Knicks to celebrate a series victory.

The Knicks will move on to round two to take on the Indiana Pacers. The Sixers drop out of the first round for the first time since their 2020 playoff run.