A spokesperson for the Philadelphia 76ers announced early Tuesday that the team intends to file a complaint about the referees’ decisions during their games against the New York Knicks.

euro Jo. pic.twitter.com/UBfiXPnf1w

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 23, 2024

The 76ers lost both games played in New York, with the Knicks winning the second game 104-101 after a comeback in the final 30 seconds on Monday night.

The Knicks took the lead with a 3-pointer from Donte DiVincenzo with 13 seconds remaining, a play that began with a steal from Tyrese Maxey. Maxey struggled to catch the inbound pass while being closely guarded by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, leading to a turnover.

elite pass. elite finish. pic.twitter.com/vm1RfWVDYU

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 23, 2024

Joel Embiid claimed that Maxey was fouled, and he also mentioned that coach Nick Nurse and some players had tried to call a timeout before the Knicks gained possession. Embiid criticized the officiating for using strong language, describing it as unacceptable.

The Knicks previously protested a loss on Feb. 12 against Houston after referees admitted making an incorrect foul call that led to winning free throws. However, the NBA denied the protest, stating that referee errors do not justify changing the game’s outcome.

During the playoffs, the Knicks have included detailed information about the game officials in their game notes, including their record with those officials and statistics about the frequency of calls and challenges.

The Sixers had every opportunity to win Game 2, but they couldn’t hold a five-point lead with 47 seconds left and will now head back to Philly down 2-0 to the Knicks.

 It is an extremely Sixers thing to do to get beaten by a bunch of guys from Villanova.

The Sixers lost Game 2 in devastating fashion, falling 104-101 from a Donte DiVincenzo three with 12 seconds remaining.

3-3 from 3! pic.twitter.com/GzOOFxFV7T

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 22, 2024

Tyrese Maxey once again led all scorers with 35 points, shooting 12-of-22 from the field along with eight rebounds and 10 assists. Joel Embiid had 34 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 12-of-29 from the field.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 24 points. He shot only 8-of-29 from the field but his three that rolled in fueled the chaotic play that gave New York the win. His Nova teammates Josh Hart and DiVincenzo went finished with 21 and 19 points, respectively.

Despite missing the morning’s shootaround due to an illness, Maxey was able to suit up.

Here are some thoughts from MSG.

First Quarter

• An ideal first couple of minutes for the Sixers as Maxey scored the game’s first nine points from behind the three-point arc. Similar to the beginning of Game 1, Philly was able to generate the shots they wanted fairly often. The Knicks nearly stripped Embiid on their first hard double of the night but he was able to find Kelly Oubre Jr.

• Another similarity to Game 1 was Brunson’s slow start — he missed his first four shots of the ball game but had plenty of Villanova backup. Donte DiVincenzo answered the Sixers’ hot start by knocking down his first two triples of the game. Josh Hart, who the Sixers keep ignoring, also hit his first three of the game.
• The Sixers also did a much better job of ending possessions at the start of this one. The Knicks grabbed just two offensive rebounds in the quarter. On the other end of the floor, Embiid pulled down four offensive rebounds, which gave him plenty of second-chance opportunities. That helped him get out to a 12-point quarter as the Sixers led by seven after one.

Second Quarter

• Embiid’s first trip to the bench did not go nearly as disastrous for the Sixers this time. That was largely thanks to Maxey, who hit a tough step-back three and a couple nice drives to the paint. Tobias Harris had some nice moments as well, knocking down a turnaround fadeaway and poking an offensive rebound loose for Buddy Hield.
• Embiid tried a little too hard to quiet the “fuck Embiid” chants after he got called for a technical. He tried to cross up Isaiah Hartenstein so hard he ended up taking a shot clock violation. He responded to that moment well though with a good defensive possession, then throwing a dime to Maxey down the baseline moments later.

• Philly is going to have to change up how they’re guarding Josh Hart. He shot just 31% on 3.2 attempts from three this year, so it makes sense the Sixers were OK letting him beat them. He had another heater tonight, going 4-of-5 from deep in the first half, which helped the Knicks cut the lead down to four at the half.

Third Quarter

• The Sixers didn’t open the second half very sharp. They turned the ball over on two of their first three possessions, just not protecting the ball very well and letting it get poked out. New York was able to capitalize by getting points out of those opportunities.
• Much of what the Sixers were able to generate came from Embiid. He scored or assisted 12 of their first 14 points of the quarter. He did mix up his substitution pattern, checking out with four minutes to go in the quarter: right when the Knicks took their first lead of the night.

• Those minutes Embiid sat weren’t a complete disaster, but they didn’t go great either. The Sixers were only able to muster two baskets during this time: a bailout three from Nico Batum and a Paul Reed putback. Embiid checked back in with 30 seconds left in the quarter, but the Knicks held an five-point lead after three.

Fourth Quarter

• The Knicks really weren’t killing them on the offensive glass for much of the night, but the Sixers had a brutal possession early in the fourth where they let the Knicks get three straight chances. This helped Bojan Bogdonovich get going, and the Knicks took their largest lead of the night.
• Maxey was what kept the Sixers alive in this one through the middle stretch of the quarter. He was having success getting the Knicks’ centers switched on him, Hartenstein or Mitchell Robinson, and dicing them up in space. They chipped away and tied the game back up with 3:49 to go.
• Maxey continued to show up down the stretch. As the Knicks went scoreless for a couple of minutes. He hit a midrange to retake the lead, then knocked down a three to push the lead back up to four a few possessions later.

• What a stupid possession to lose a game on. After Brunson had a three roll in off the front of the rim, Maxey got mugged trying to corral the inbound and turned the ball over. The ball eventually found DiVincenzo who knocked down a three to give the Knicks a one-point lead. Philly came up short on the next possession and that was the ballgame.
• Down 2-0, it’s fair to say the Sixers are in pretty deep trouble. They’ll have to try to get on the board when the series moves back to Philadelphia. Game 3 will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday night from the Center.