The Sixers handled their side of the equation Sunday but didn’t receive the needed (and improbable) help required to steer clear of the NBA’s play-in tournament. They notched a 126-106 win over the Bucks at Xfinity Mobile Arena to end the season at 45-37. The heavily shortanded Bucks finishe d their season at 32-50. To avoid the play-in, the Sixers had to get both a Magic loss to the Celtics and a Raptors defeat to the Nets. Boston earned a surprising win over Orlando, but Toronto beat Brooklyn. Those results mean the Sixers will host the Magic the No. 7 vs. No. 8 playoff matchup. Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points in the finale. Quentin Grimes posted 20 and Justin Edwards added 17. Here are observations on the Sixers’ victory in game No. 82: George keeps starting hot  The Sixers’ offense had a cold start, opening 1 for 6 from the floor. A sweet Paul George fadeaway jumper was their only bucket in the first three minutes. Milwaukee also didn’t have much early success offensively. After a George driving layup, Kelly Oubre Jr. nabbed a backcourt steal and threw down a dunk to put the Sixers up 11-7. In the majority of the games since his suspension, George has been aggressive and productive in the first quarter. Following an eight-point first period Friday in the Sixers’ win over the Pacers, George scored 11 on 4-for-5 shooting vs. the Bucks.  Milwaukee sharpshooter AJ Green set a new franchise record with his third three-ball of the first quarter. Green’s three was his 230th of the season, the most in Bucks history. He ended the year at 232.  Sixers’ six-man bench  The Sixers used six players off the bench before garbage time Sunday, adding Jabari Walker and Trendon Watford back into their rotation. Andre Drummond faced a small-ball center in 6-foot-7 Thanasis Antetokounmpo for a good chunk of the first quarter. Drummond knocked down a three with 5.2 seconds left in the first to give the Sixers a 29-26 edge.  For the third straight game since Joel Embiid underwent an appendectomy, Drummond played more center minutes than Adem Bona. Drummond started the third quarter instead of Bona, logged 22 minutes, and posted 12 points and 13 rebounds. Bona had four points and two boards in his 17 minutes. Walker got a stint at center against Antetokounmpo late in the second quarter, too.  The Sixers’ bench was a bright spot in the first half, racking up 32 points. Grimes posted nine points, three assists and three steals in the first half. Edwards drilled a pair of three-pointers against the Bucks’ zone defense in the second quarter and sunk three more triples in the third.  As for Embiid, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that he had no significant updates on the star big man’s status. Nurse said his understanding is that Embiid has been recovering well in Philadelphia following surgery.  Third-quarter high note Despite being sorely shorthanded and having nothing to play for, Milwaukee stayed close and then some in the first half. Cormac Ryan’s three in the final minute of the second quarter gave the Bucks a 62-58 lead. The Sixers made a decisive run early in the third quarter. Oubre turned a steal into a fast-break slam that pulled the Sixers in front.  Maxey had an excellent third quarter of zooming into the paint and converting tricky shots inside. He also nailed two threes in the third and the Sixers’ advantage swelled as high as 20 points. The Sixers were the NBA’s worst third-quarter team this season — they entered Sunday with a minus-11.8 net rating in the third — but they at least concluded the season on a very positive note.  ...read more read less