NEW YORK: A Game 7 thriller, the NBA’s first do-or-die game to go to overtime in 15 years, came down to a matter of inches.

If Brooklyn star Kevin Durant was just slightly farther away — or if his foot was slightly smaller — he ends the highest-scoring Game 7 ever by an NBA player with a 3-pointer to win the series.

“We got lucky his toe was on the line and they called it a 2,” Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton said. “But once he hits that shot, we’ve got to forget about it. There’s still a ballgame left. That wasn’t the game.”

And given a second chance, the Bucks cashed it in for a ticket to the Eastern Conference finals.

The Bucks withstood Durant’s NBA-record 48 points in a Game 7, beating the Nets 115-111 on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 13 rebounds, and Middleton made the tiebreaking shot with 40 seconds left in OT.

“At the end of the day, I try not to get too high, not to get too low. But I almost got emotional a little bit out there because the team really tried their best,” Antetokounmpo said. “We kept our composure. We were down 2-0. A lot of people didn’t believe we could make it.”

The Bucks held on when Durant missed two late jumpers, the last an airball with 0.3 seconds remaining.

“We got good looks there in overtime. We just didn’t knock them down,” Durant said. “Respect to the Milwaukee Bucks in how they prepare, how they challenged us all series and made adjustments all series. We’ve got nothing but respect for that ballclub.”

Middleton added 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who reached the East finals for the second time in three years. They will play either Philadelphia or Atlanta in a series that starts Wednesday night.

Durant played all 53 minutes and forced OT with a turnaround jumper that was just inches from being a 3-pointer that would have won it with a second left.