3 reasons the Knicks were able to sneak past the 76ers in Game 6

Despite blowing an early 22-point, second-quarter lead, the New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 118-115 in Game 6 to advance to the second round of the playoffs. As usual, the Knicks struggled to score at times but got by behind Jalen Brunson who helped carry them over the finish line in a wild game.

As the Knicks begin prepping for a second-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers, it's important to reflect back on who was able to take care of business against the 76ers and get them to this point. Here are the players who were most responsible for the Knicks' Game 6 victory.

3. O.G Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Isaiah Hartenstein

Putting all three of the starters that didn't make the list is a bit of a cop-out but when the head coach Tom Thibodeau only plays his bench guys 27 minutes, it's hard not to give credit to every starter. OG Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Josh Hart were all extremely solid on both sides of the court.

As per usual, Josh Hart ended up playing almost the entire game, only sitting for two minutes. Hart ended up with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting and 14 rebounds. Additionally, a lot of Hart's contributions won't show up in the box score — his hustle was a constant factor for New York.

Anunoby finished with 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting, nine rebounds and stellar defense that also won't show up in the box score. Finally, Hartenstein added 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting, giving the Knicks dominance down low.

All season long, Hart has been a tier-one glue guy for the Knicks this season and the veteran continued this kind of play during Game 6. Anunoby was a tremendous defensive presence making everything hard for Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tobias Harris. Isaiah Hartenstein didn't have the greatest game on the defensive end against Joel Embiid, getting into foul trouble early, but he found a way to keep making positive plays.

2. Donte DiVincenzo

Outside of a clutch shot to win Game 2, Donte DiVincenzo hasn't had an amazing series. His 3-point shooting hasn't been as strong as in the regular season and he's been forced to find other ways to contribute. This changed in Game 6 as he made 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, giving the offense a huge boost.

Quite simply, the Villanova product was able to make his shots where in other games in this series he wasn't. This is a great sign for Knicks fans as they head into the second round as New York will likely need DiVincenzo to be on his A-game if they want to take care of Indiana.

1. Jalen Brunson

After struggling in Game 1 and 2 of this series, Jalen Brunson has put together one of the best individual playoff series in New York Knicks history. For the series, he averaged 35 points, 9 assists, and 4.5 rebounds. This is quite impressive considering that the guard scored in the low 20s in the first two games of the series.

All season, Jalen Brunson has looked like a true number-one option. Tonight, he looked like a top number-one option in the league. Brunson was able to penetrate the defense with precision in a way that few on the planet would have been able to.

The Brunson Burner put up 41 points on 48 percent shooting from the floor. Brunson also ended up with 12 assists which was crucial for the franchise as times they couldn't really find a way to get the offense going. Once again, the star looked like a player who could be considered for the All-NBA First Team and top five in MVP voting.