The New York Knicks outlasted the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 118-115 victory in the deciding Game 6 of their first-round series.
The Knicks will face the Pacers in the conference semifinals, after Indiana eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks themselves earlier Thursday.
Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 41 points, while Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 39.
Josh Hart made the game-tying 3-pointer with less than 25 seconds left after being left wide open at the top of the perimeter.
Brunson, Hart and Donte DiVincenzo all played college basketball at nearby Villanova and knocked Philadelphia out of the playoffs together. DiVincenzo scored 23 points and Hart 16.
Josh Hart scored the game-winning 3-pointer with less than 25 seconds left
Jalen Brunson was fantastic again for the Knicks, scoring 41 points in the crucial victory
The first game between the Knicks and the Pacers is scheduled for Monday in New York.
The Knicks advance to the second round in consecutive years for the first time since the 1992-2000 playoffs.
In a first-quarter blowout, the Knicks led by as many as 22, but that lead disappeared midway through the second quarter.
After halftime, the Knicks trailed by as many as 10, with the change in momentum appearing to guarantee a Game 7 Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
Brunson, cementing his place as the Knicks’ best player of a generation, has scored at least 37 points in four straight playoff games. He is the first player to do this since Michael Jordan in 1993.