The Sixers left Josh Hart open from three-point range. The former Villanova star made them pay in Game 1 victory.

NEW YORK — Josh Hart publicly apologized to his parents for the language. But he had a good reason for turning to face the roaring Madison Square Garden crowd, and spouting celebratory expletives.

The Knicks wing had just elevated over Kyle Lowry to knock down his third crunch-time three-pointer, propelling his team to a 111-104 victory over the 76ers Saturday night in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Those long balls highlighted another well-rounded performance for the former Villanova star, who finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds.

“I don’t want to overlook his contribution, because he was a monster throughout,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Hart. “Big rebounds. Tough defense. Hustle plays. Big shots at the end. Coming up with loose balls. And that’s what [the playoffs] is.”

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Hart joined Carmelo Anthony as the only players in Knicks history to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four made three-pointers in one playoff game. It’s another accomplishment during a season when Hart stuffed the box score, recording six triple-doubles while averaging 9.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists and drawing challenging defensive assignments.

The 28-year-old expected the Sixers to leave him open Saturday, based on their defense during two consecutive regular-season matchups on March 10 and 12. Hart even conceded it was a “smart game plan,” considering he shot 31% from beyond the arc during the regular season. A couple weeks ago, Hart said he was unable to even hoist the ball from that distance because of a shoulder injury.

That’s why Hart said he spent the break between the regular-season finale and playoff opener putting up extra shots. Before practice. After practice. On nighttime return trips to the facility.

“It’s something that I knew I really had to focus on,” he said.

Those extra repetitions did not pay dividends through the first three quarters Saturday, when he went 2-of-7 from the floor. Yet he continued to impact the game with hustle plays and ferocious rebounding, helping anchor his team that dominated the glass, 55-33. That has always been an uncanny strength of Hart’s skill set, and for the Knicks, who led the NBA in offensive rebounding (12.7 per game) and ranked fifth in overall rebounding (45.2 per game) during the regular season.

Hart acknowledged missing four consecutive three-pointers would normally make him hesitant to fire again. But with about five minutes to play, he sank a pull-up attempt from the top of the key. Then took advantage of a slow closeout by Kelly Oubre Jr. with less than two minutes remaining, throwing up both arms once the ball fell through the net. Then came the shot over Lowry, and the fiery yells.

“It’s just the passion that I play with,” Hart said. “I knew I was going to be left open and kind of disrespected the three-point line.”

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The Knicks needed that outing on a night MVP contender Jalen Brunson uncharacteristically struggled, going 8-of-26 from the floor and committing five turnovers. Hart responded with an effusive “damn!” when those numbers were repeated back to him, a playful jab at his longtime friend and Roommates Show podcast cohost. Hart was one of multiple complementary players who made up that production, as New York’s bench accounted for 42 points.

As this series moves to Monday’s Game 2, Nurse said he likely would not change their defensive strategy in those late-game scenarios. In other words, they were content to leave Hart free in order to cover something else.

By the end of this matchup, though, Hart hopes to have earned his opponent’s respect from long range.

“I knew it was going to be that way, in terms of just open shots,” he said. “Fortunately, I was able to knock them down.”