PHILADELPHIA — Josh Hart was at Wells Fargo Center on Friday night, arriving shortly before tip-off, but he was there only as a spectator. 

The Knicks could have used the trade-deadline acquisition. They had no answers down the stretch after leading by double digits for large stretches of a frustrating 119-108 loss to the 76ers. 

Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson ran out of gas after fast starts and the Knicks’ second-half defense was porous as they fell two games behind the Heat in the loss column for the coveted sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. 

“We should be walking out of here with a win, but give them credit,” Brunson said. “They’re seeded where they are for a reason and they’re great players over there. Great coaches. We’ve just got to be better.” 

The big difference between Friday and the Knicks’ win over the 76ers last Sunday: The play of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. The duo combined for 47 points (and Harden had 12 assists) after they were held to 12 points apiece on Sunday. Joel Embiid torched the Knicks for 35 points, 11 rebounds and six assists as Tom Thibodeau’s team, playing an 11th-straight game without center Mitchell Robinson, managed just 15 fourth-quarter points. 

The Knicks (30-27) were within three points, at 111-108, with just under two minutes remaining and had the ball. But RJ Barrett forced up a shot in the lane and the 76ers (35-19) reeled off eight straight points to put the game away. Embiid had a three-point play and Maxey sank a back-breaking 3-pointer with 1:09 left to cap off a brilliant 27-point performance. 

“I think a lot of NBA players when they don’t play the way they think they should, the next game they play that team, they think about it,” Brunson said. “He came out ready to play and that’s Tyrese Maxey for you.” 

Brunson (nine assists) and Randle (10 rebounds) each scored 30 points, but had just two apiece in the fourth quarter and only attempted a combined four shots. Barrett added an inefficient 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting and Immanuel Quickley scored 13 points off the bench. The Knicks were held to 22 points over the final 18:25 of action and were outscored by 23 points over that span. They shot 53 percent from the field overall, but 12 turnovers and only four offensive rebounds undermined the hot-shooting performance. 

The game turned midway through the third quarter, during a 13-0 76ers run that included three Knicks turnovers and seven consecutive empty possessions. The Knicks, in control for most of the game, all of a sudden were behind. 

“We had a good cushion, we were playing pretty well, and that changed the momentum of the game,” Thibodeau said. 

The Knicks still led going into the fourth quarter, but nothing went right over the final 12 minutes. They shot just 6-for-17, were outscored 27-15, committed four turnovers and were crushed on the glass, 13-6. After playing so well in recent fourth quarters, including that win over the 76ers this past Sunday, they had very little left Friday night in crunch time. 

“I thought rebounding was pretty good through three quarters and then in the fourth, when we needed to be at our best, we could’ve done better,” Thibodeau said. 

Thibodeau was being kind. His team needed to be much better in the fourth quarter.