Knicks' Villanova trio knocks out the 76ers in Philadelphia

Brunson finished with 41 points and 12 assists as the New York Knicks went on the road to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers, 118-115 in a back-and-forth Game 6 that capped a back-and-forth series. 

The 76ers came back from a 22-point deficit early, then erased an eight-point lead to tie the game with 35 seconds to go, despite Brunson's heroics.

He had some help from his former Wildcat teammates, part of a Villanova team that won national titles in 2016 and 2018. The 6-foot-5 Hart had 16 points and 14 rebounds. 

While Hart missed a free throw that could have given the Knicks a two-possession lead ahead of Tyrese Maxey's game-tying three in Game 5, he hit a big three-pointer of his own with 24 seconds left.

DiVincenzo, who was the Most Outstanding Player in 2018 NCAA Tournament, had 19 points and hit five three-pointers in the game. He made two clutch free throws with 11 seconds left to give New York a three-point lead. DiVincenzo finished with 23 points, seven assists, two steals and three big blocks.

Perhaps most impressive is how many minutes the Villanova trio logged, perhaps a sign of some next-level cardio training at the school. Brunson played 44 minutes, Hart played 46 and DiVincenzo played a full 48 minutes, never sitting at any point. Did former coach Jay Wright have a cross country running program?

New York moves on to play the Indiana Pacers in the second round, a team with zero Villanova players. The players from Villanova will probably celebrate by running 10 miles on a treadmill.