Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse says refs IGNORED his pleas for a timeout before turnover that led to Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo's game-winning 3-pointer

Even for a building known for its volume, Madison Square Garden got loud for Game 2 of the New York Knicks' opening-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

The obvious culprit was Donte DiVincenzo's go-ahead 3-pointer, which capped a wild play with 13 seconds remaining and sent Knicks fans into absolute hysterics.

But following New York's 104-101 Game 2 win – which gave the Knicks a 2-0 series lead – Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse told reporters the dramatic game-winner shouldn't have counted.

As Nurse explained, after Knicks guard Jalen Brunson cut the Sixers' lead to 101-99 with a 3-pointer at the 27-second mark, he called for a timeout. What's more, video replay confirms this.

'The first thing is, obviously they score, we take a look at getting it in quick,' Nurse said. 'We don't get it in quick, I call timeout. Referee looked right at me, ignored me.'

Even without the timeout, the Sixers still managed to inbound the ball to Tyrese Maxey, but he was quickly swarmed by Brunson and his Knicks teammate Josh Hart. Maxey would lose the ball as he crashed to the hardwood, and without a whistle for traveling or a foul, Hart was able to scoop it up and pass it to DiVincenzo.

The Knicks guard missed his initial 3-pointer, but teammate Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the rebound and passed it to OG Anunoby, who got it back to DiVincenzo for the go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining.

'Went in to Tyrese [Maxey], I called timeout again, then the melee started,' Nurse recalled. 'I guess I got to run out on the floor or do something to get his attention. I needed a timeout there to advance it. Would have been good. But couldn't get it.'

Anunoby ultimately hit two free throws to seal the victory for New York and send the series back to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Thursday.

The Knicks trailed by five points within the final 30 seconds, on the verge of losing home-court advantage before the stunning rally on an otherwise miserable night.

Brunson finished with 24 points despite going 8 for 29 from the field. Josh Hart had 21 points and 15 rebounds, and DiVincenzo scored 19 points.

Maxey had 35 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in a brilliant performance after he was ill earlier in the day and missed their morning shootaround. Embiid had 34 points and 10 rebounds.

The 76ers appeared on the verge of going home happy after Maxey had 15 points in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer with 1:09 to play gave the 76ers a 100-96 lead and when Kyle Lowry made a free throw with 47 seconds to go, the crowd at Madison Square Garden was as quiet as it had been all night.

A few minutes later the fans were chanting DiVincenzo's name deliriously after he had given the Knicks their first 2-0 lead in a playoff series since the first round against Boston in 2013.

Hartenstein chipped in 14 points and Anunoby had 10, but it was mostly the efforts of Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo – the three former Villanova Wildcats who will now head back to Philadelphia for the next two games.

Hart scored 19 in the first half to keep the Knicks close in a game they didn't lead for the first time until there were four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Brunson was only 8 for 26 in Game 1 but had eight rebounds and six assists Monday.

Embiid played 39 minutes, rarely looking bothered by his surgically repaired left knee he appeared to reinjure in Game 1. But he and Maxey had little help, with Tobias Harris the only other Philadelphia player in double figures with 10 points.

Maxey, a finalist for the Most Improved Player award, hit three straight 3-pointers to start the game and send the 76ers to a 9-0 lead. They were ahead by 10 in the second quarter when Embiid was called for a technical foul. After he was called for a foul trying to block DiVincenzo on a drive to the basket, he used the ball to shove DiVincenzo back.

That got the fans into it, booing Embiid profanely, but the Knicks couldn't make much of a dent in the score until Hart scored seven straight points, with his 3-pointer in transition cutting it to 51-48. It was 53-49 at the break.

Reserves Bojan Bogdanovic and Deuce McBride, who had big performances in Game 1, combined for 11 straight New York points for a 90-82 lead with 7:43 remaining. But Philadelphia battled back to tie it at 94 on a basket by Maxey.