In his 42nd minute, and on his 17th shot attempt against the Pistons, Josh Hart turned a chaotic sequence into the game-sealing layup, fighting through contact from Jalen Duren and converting the shot that turned into an and-one.

He logged his fifth-most minutes of the season in the Knicks’ 113-111 win Monday.

He attempted his second-most shots.

He tied his season-high with 23 points.

And the Knicks needed every bit of those to escape with a win against a group that tied the NBA record with a 28-game losing streak earlier in the season.

“There’s a reason why they can handle those minutes,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Hart and Brunson, who played 40 minutes. “They prepare themselves to handle those minutes.”

But originally, on that final sequence, Hart planned to attempt a reverse layup around Duren. He thought that the forward was going to attempt a block, but the avenue he thought he’d have didn’t end up materializing.

“I didn’t have that, so I just tried to get the contact but still be able to put myself in a position to finish,” Hart said.

It marked the seventh time in the Knicks’ last nine games Hart had topped 10 points, turning an ever-changing role into consistent production with the Knicks navigating a handful of injuries and newcomers brought in via trades.

He, again, alternated between playing wing and guarding taller players as the backup power forward, but he also found ways to score when needed alongside Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, he hit a jumper from the right corner while fading away from the basket — turning a disjointed transition scramble into two points.

Then, he threaded a pass to Precious Achiuwa underneath to tie the game later in the quarter.

He hit 3s and dished out other assists, too, but then in the final seconds, Hart found one final way to turn a scramble into points the Knicks desperately needed.

He collected a pass from Brunson. He fought through for a layup. He made two free throws, too.

“Sometimes,” Thibodeau said, “that’s the difference between winning and losing right there.”