(Associated Press)

MILWAUKEE --- At his locker, Royal Ivey had barely slung a shirt over his shoulder when he was asked for a moment to talk. Ivey knew what the inquiry was out, responding to a question that didn't need asking.

“I definitely should've called timeout,” Ivey said, after the 76ers lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, 94-92, Wednesday night.

With five seconds to go, in a two-point game, the Sixers' Jrue Holiday won a jumpball against Milwaukee's Luc Mbah a Moute – “I got up on that,” Holiday said – and the tip went to Ivey. Unsure what to do with it, Ivey said he tried to make a play.

Instead, Moute batted away the errant pass, chased it into Milwaukee territory and kept it inbounds long enough to allow time to expire.

“We had two timeouts left,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said sternly.

Here's how Ivey summed up those final seconds: “Honestly, we knew throughout the game, we had said we had three previously. Nobody was thinking call a timeout in that situation. The onus is on us in that situation to make that call. I got the ball. I definitely should've called timeout. I wasn't thinking that. I was thinking make a play, get somebody an open shot.”

By “somebody,” he meant Nick Young, Spencer Hawes, Evan Turner and Holiday. Those were the other guys on the floor at the time

Rather than burn one of the Sixers' remaining timeouts, allowing Collins to sub Ivey off the floor in favor of a more-offensive option – maybe Jeremy Pargo or Dorell Wright, both of whom can shoot the 3-ball – Ivey kept the play alive, but killed the Sixers' rally.

“I got the ball and they made a play on the ball,” said Ivey, an eight-year vet. “I was trying to get the ball to Spencer, and Luc shot the gap and got a hand on the ball, knocked it loose. That was it.”

Young referred to this one as “just one of those situations you wish you could have back.” That's a safe bet, considering where it left the Sixers (22-29) – four games back of eighth-place Milwaukee (26-25) for the final playoff spot in the East, heading into All-Star weekend.