Instant observations: Sixers season ends after heartbreaking Game 6 loss to Knicks

After Tyrese Maxey saved the Sixers' season with his legendary late-game heroics — which propelled the team to a Game 5 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden — on Thursday night the team returned home to the Wells Fargo Center with the same situation at hand: win or go home. This time, the Sixers could not pull a rabbit out of their hat. Their season ended Thursday night with a 118-115 loss. Here is what stood out from Sixers-Knicks Game 6:

Knicks put together a run, tie game entering fourth quarter and go ahead in opening minutes of final frame

The Sixers have never accepted defeat during this series, and neither have the Knicks. And so, when the Sixers extended their lead to a game-high 10 points in the third quarter, New York put together another impressive run of their own, and by the time the third quarter clock expired, a corner triple by O.G. Anunoby had tied the game.

Despite nearly every minute of this game being lopsided in one direction, it all added up to an even score heading into the final dozen minutes — as this series deserves.

Once the fourth started, the Knicks received more clutch plays from Anunoby — he hit another triple, blocked a Maxey layup and then finished a layup over two defenders on an impressive drive. Nurse opted to rest Embiid to begin the fourth quarter after the hobbled and fatigued Embiid played the entire third quarter, and in three minutes and six seconds of action without him, the Sixers were outscored by four points.

Sixers respond, setting up another down-to-the-wire finish

When Embiid returned to the game, the Knicks decided to take a risk and give Jalen Brunson a couple minutes of rest. The Sixers were finally able to take advantage of the Joel Embiid-on, Brunson-off minutes, outscoring the Knicks by four points in two minutes and change to tie the game and force a timeout from Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau with six minutes and 38 seconds left.

The key plays during those moments: another corner triple from Hield, a remarkable put-back dunk by Batum and a jump hook by Embiid.

Brunson meets the moment again

Coming out of New York's timeout strong was critical for either side, and it was the Knicks who did so, thanks to big-time shot-making from their superstar point guard. Brunson nailed back-to-back triples to give his team a six-point lead and ignite the Knicks fans in attendance.

Tyrese Maxey responded with an and-one — the first shooting foul he had drawn all game — but Brunson came right back with a tough mid-range jumper. After DiVincenzo blew by a hobbled Embiid en route to an easy layup, the Knicks had a seven-point lead — their largest of the second half to that point — with four minutes and change remaining.

Sixers fall short in Game 6, head home after first-round exit

There were times where it felt storybook: the Embiid dominance, the Buddy Hield revival and the Nico Batum dunk. The suddenly-electric crowd. But the Sixers just ran into one too many obstacles -- the final one being Brunson's signature heater in the fourth quarter.

By any measure, a first-round exit for a team with one of the two or three best players in the world is a major disappointment. But give the Sixers this: until the very end, they fought. Many recent Sixers teams have bowed out in embarrassing fashion in the playoffs. These Sixers never did that.

With fewer than three minutes remaining, the Sixers trailed by eight. The Knicks — again -- smelled blood in the water. And then Oubre hit a corner three, Maxey converted a tough finish, Oubre threw down a put-back dunk of his own and Maxey scored a game-tying and-one.

But the Knicks called timeout, and Hart, who killed the Sixers with his three-point shooting early in the series, gave the Knicks the lead with a three. Embiid responded with a quick two, but quickly was forced to intentionally foul DiVincenzo -- his sixth personal, removing him from the game.

The Sixers never recovered, as Hield's desperation heave was off the mark. These Sixers fought. They just did not have enough, and their season is over.

Knicks jump out to early lead

A fast start can always be crucial in a closeout playoff game -- the Sixers' impressive first quarter defense in Game 5 was a big reason why they were able to hang in despite Joel Embiid's significant offensive struggles -- and in this one, it was New York who came out with a bang.

Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson knocked down a tough mid-range jumper on the first possession of the game, and it ignited an instant heater for New York's entire offense. They got another two-point shot from OG Anunoby, while Isaiah Hartenstein made two floaters and Donte DiVincenzo connected on two triples. Fewer than four minutes into the game, the Knicks had a 10-point lead and Sixers head coach Nick Nurse was forced to call timeout.

Out of the timeout, Maxey made the kind of mistake that has plagued the Sixers in many big games: fouling a three-point shooter. Three Brunson free throws later, the Knicks were leading 17-4.

Embiid rebounds with hot start, but receives no help... and New York's lead grows

Embiid had one of his worst offensive games in recent memory in Game 5, and established early on Thursday night that he would not repeat that performance in Game 6. Embiid scored on his first touch with a face-up mid-range jumper, and ended up scoring nine points in his eight minutes of first quarter play.

That is good. The issue, though, is that he was the only Sixer to score during that time. Aside from the reigning NBA MVP finally looking like himself again, this quarter went about as disastrously as possible for the Sixers, who trailed by as much as 22 at one point and ended the quarter losing, 36-22.

While everything went wrong for the Sixers in that quarter, it all went right for the Knicks: they rained three after three, got every shooter's bounce and looked like a cohesive, motivated unit ready to wipe its opponent out. Until...

Embiid's supporting cast arrives and the Sixers revive their season again

Many teams — especially prior iterations of the Sixers — would have caved in after the Knicks connected with an absolutely massive haymaker in the game's first 12 minutes. But not even five and a half minutes into the second quarter, New York's lead — once 22 — was down to five. It took a hell of a lot of momentum-shifting plays -- two of them coming from a surprising party — but with their most intense crowd of the year on hand, the Sixers went from on the ropes to alive and well.

One of the key role players who helped get the Sixers back into the game was Nic Batum, who scored 10 points and knocked down two triples in their early comeback effort. Batum also grabbed four early rebounds, one of which being a put-back off a miss by Kelly Oubre Jr.

But the most surprising Sixer to come up big during the run...

Buddy Hield returns to the rotation and delivers in the biggest of ways

Hield scored two points in the first three games of this series. He did not play in either of the next two. And, with his team's season on the line again, Nurse pulled a shocking move and brought in the sharpshooter who was acquired at the trade deadline.

All Hield did was respond by scoring 17 points and knocking down five three-pointers in just the second quarter.

Hield's descent from the starting lineup to the bench to the outside looking in has been one of the more disappointing developments of the Sixers' season. And certainly, nobody has taken it harder than Hield himself, who works tirelessly at his craft.

The especially brutal part of this for Hield has been that this is the first playoff appearance in his eight-year career -- and it had gone disastrously in every way imaginable. But after 12 minutes and change, an epic South Philadelphia crowd chanted "BUDDY' in unison. The playoffs bring out unlikely heroes in every sport every year: Hield's stunning reemergence is another example of that.

Sixers win second quarter, 32-15, and enter halftime with the lead

If you told anyone in this arena when the Knicks led, 33-11, fewer than 10 minutes into the game, that the Sixers would ever take the lead in this game, they would have looked at you like you had three heads.

If you told them it would happen before the end of the first half — and that the Sixers would enter intermission with a three-point lead — they would have looked at you like you had 30 heads.

Somehow, some way, that is exactly what happened. Embiid (17 points, eight rebounds) and Hield (17 points) led the way, with Batum chipping in in a major way and Oubre knocking down the corner triple that put them in front for the first time.

Cam Payne struggled on offense in the first half, making just one of his six field goal attempts, but made two vital hustle plays — a TJ McConnell-esque steal in the backcourt followed by a three, and then intercepting a ball over Josh Hart and feeding Oubre for a dunk.

Embiid and Hield led the way, but even with Maxey scoring just two first-half points, the Sixers managed to come back because of a marvelous, gutsy team effort.

Embiid imposes his will on the glass again

Embiid's offense in Game 5 was terrible, but his biggest improvement came on the boards, where he helped lead the team's effort which ultimately culminated in the Sixers winning the rebounding battle. While the Knicks were tremendous on the glass for much of Game 6, it could have been a lot worse — and the reason it wasn't was because of Embiid.

On both the offensive and defensive glass, Embiid was assertive, forceful and dominant during the Sixers' extended run of success. The Sixers' ability to not just get initial stops, but actually close those New York possessions, was absolutely crucial, extending their margin for error on offense despite the improved scoring of Embiid and red-hot three-point shooting of Hield.

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