Knicks outlast 76ers, 118-115, in wild Game 6 to advance to second round of Eastern Conference playoffs

In an instant classic and after losing a 22-point lead, the Knicks found a way to beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 118-115, in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs to advance to the next round.

Here are the conclusions…

-Unlike previous games in the series where New York got off to a slow start in the first quarter, the Knicks came out firing in Game 6 as Donte DiVincenzo shone it from long distance in front of a packed house inside the Wells Fargo Center.

Starting with a 7-0 run, New York’s lead grew to 17-4 with just under eight minutes left in the quarter, grew to 28-9 two-thirds of the way through the quarter, and reached 33-11. Knicks’ biggest lead in the series.

New York got such a huge advantage thanks to the offensive rebounding advantage it had all year and in every series, as well as limiting unnamed players Joel Embiid. In fact, Embiid scored Philly’s first nine points — a stretch that lasted about eight minutes.

-Things started to change for the Knicks after their biggest lead as the 76ers went on an 11-0 run that ended with a Josh Hart three points with 33.1 seconds left in the quarter. Still, New York entered the second quarter with a 36-22 lead.

-However, it went from bad to worse in the second, with Philadelphia continuing their scoring streak. New York’s lead evaporated as quickly as it started when the Sixers took a 49-47 lead on a Kelly Oubre Jr. three points. Friend Hieldwho did not play in the last two games due to the coach’s decision, boosted the recovery by draining three after three across the court.

-On the other hand, the Knicks started the quarter shooting a paltry 1 of 15 from the field and looked stagnant offensively, even with Jalen Brunson at the Court. After scoring 36 points in the first, New York scored just 15 in the second and was outscored by 17 points, going into halftime trailing by three.

The Knicks fought from behind throughout the entire third quarter and were even down by 10 at one point, but somehow managed to tie the game before the end of the frame thanks to OG Anunobythree-pointer with 21.1 seconds remaining.

The comeback was truly a total team effort with Brunson scoring 11, Hart scoring seven, Anunoby and DiVincenzo each adding five and Isaiah Hartenstein scoring four. Head coach Tom Thibodeaualready understaffed, he also decided to create a six-man rotation with just Mitchell Robinson appearing outside the bank.

-Each team traded blows in the fourth quarter and what started as a game of races ended up becoming a good old street fight until the end.

The Knicks were up by eight with just over three minutes remaining, but the 76ers didn’t give up (once again), getting back to within one on several occasions and even pulling within 111-111 in Tyrese Maxeythree point game. Following his career performance in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, Maxey struggled on Thursday night and had just 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the floor (1-of-6 from three).

With the game tied and less than a minute left, Hart hit a big three to give New York the lead once again, and this time for good. The game came down to free throws and the Knicks went 4 of 4 down the stretch to not allow Philadelphia a chance to win.

-The Sixers’ bench outscored New York’s 42-5, as all of the Knicks’ starters had double-digit points.

-Embiid finished with 39 points, but scored just six points in the fourth quarter.

Game MVP: Jalen Brunson

-The Knicks won due to the strength of Brunson, who dropped a game-high 41 points and also dished out 12 assists. After a shaky start to the series, Brunson played like the All-Star he is and took control when his team needed him most.

Highlights

What is the next

The Knicks will host the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m.