BENCH PLAYERS OBI TOPPIN, T.J. MCCONNELL LEAD PACERS INTO SEMIS

 INDIANAPOLIS -- Obi Toppin scored 21 points, T.J. McConnell had 20 points and nine assists and the Indiana Pacers won a playoff series for the first time in a decade, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 120-98 in Game 6 on Thursday night.

The Pacers will face the winner of the Philadelphia-New York series in the Eastern Conference semifinals. New York took a 3-2 lead into Game 6.

"I've said for two years now, we're a franchise with big dreams," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We don't know exactly where this is going to go from here. We don't know who the opponent is. You have to have big dreams and aspirations to continue to grow and to continue to push yourself."

Toppin and McConnell are the first duo in Pacers playoff history to each score 20 or more points off the bench in the same game, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

It's the third time since starters began being tracked in 1970-71 that a team had a series-clinching victory with their two highest scorers coming off the bench, according to ESPN research. (The last time it happened was in 2020, when Norman Powell and Serge Ibaka led the Raptors over the Nets in the first round.)

"Obi came in and played with unbelievable energy, T.J.'s energy was amazing, our benches' energy, it was flowing the whole game," two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton said.

Indiana's milestone victory came exactly 30 years after it swept Orlando 3-0 to advance in the NBA playoffs for the first time in franchise history, and it came on a night the Bucks again were without Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time league MVP never played after straining his left calf April 9.

Damian Lillard, meanwhile, returned from a right Achilles injury and played well but was not nearly as dominant as he was in the first two games when he scored 69 points. Lillard finished with 28 points on 7-of-16 shooting.

Bobby Portis Jr. added 20 points and 15 rebounds for Milwaukee. Brook Lopez also had 20 points, and Khris Middleton had 14 points and eight rebounds.

Haliburton had 17 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds for Indiana, and Pascal Siakam finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Toppin and McConnell each had playoff career-high scoring totals, and McConnell also had four steals.

Indiana went 8-3 against the Bucks this season and handed Milwaukee its second straight first-round exit.

Easy? Not a chance. Indiana turned the game with a 23-3 first-quarter spurt that made it 29-19 and the Pacers never trailed again.

But every time the Bucks charged back, the Pacers had an answer.

When Milwaukee cut it to 38-34 early in the second quarter, Indiana scored seven straight points. When the Bucks opened the second half on a 9-4 run to close to 63-56, Indiana responded with a 10-5 run to extend the margin to 12. When Milwaukee got to 85-78 with 6:05 left in the third, McConnell capped an 11-0 run with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 96-78 early in the fourth.

And the Bucks never recovered as the Pacers extended the lead to 104-84 with 8:07 to play. From that point, it was a festive atmosphere at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with Pacers players being serenaded off the court to a standing ovation.

"Obviously we had guys out and all that, and that's hard, but just give them credit," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. "I thought they played terrific, a terrific city, a terrific franchise."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

- ESPN News Services

NBA ROUNDUP: TYRESE MAXEY SCORES 52 AS 76ERS TOP SPURS IN SECOND OVERTIME

Tyrese Maxey. USA TODAY Sports 

 Tyrese Maxey poured in a career-high 52 points and Ricky Council IV and KJ Martin had big baskets in the second overtime as the visiting Philadelphia 76ers outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 133-126 on Sunday.

A three-point play by Council tied the score 126-126 with 3:04 left in the second OT and two free throws by Council with 1:56 to play gave the 76ers a two-point lead. Nicolas Batum then canned a 3-pointer and Martin followed with a dunk on the break -- the game's final points -- with 1:09 left to push Philadelphia's lead to seven.

Kelly Oubre Jr. added 26 points for the 76ers, who have won five straight. Paul Reed and Council had 11 each and Buddy Hield scored 10. Reed also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Philadelphia was without Joel Embiid (knee surgery recovery) and Tobias Harris (knee contusion).

Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 33 points, 18 rebounds, seven blocked shots and six assists. Malaki Branham added 22 points and Champagnie and Tre Jones had 17 points each for San Antonio.

USA TODAY Sports 

Clippers 120, Cavaliers 118

Paul George scored 23 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, including a tiebreaking jumper with 7.1 seconds left, and Los Angeles rallied from a 26-point deficit to beat visiting Cleveland.

George blocked Darius Garland's layup with 1.7 seconds left, and the Clippers sealed the comeback victory after Max Strus missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

George finished with 11 rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles. James Harden added 22 points for the Clippers. Garland led Cleveland with 28 points. Strus and Evan Mobley scored 20 points apiece.

Mavericks 147, Rockets 136 (OT)

Kyrie Irving scored 25 of his season-high 48 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Dante Exum's buzzer-beating 3-pointer to close regulation helped Dallas complete a comeback from down as many as 22 points to stun Houston.

The Mavericks capitalized on three missed Houston free throws in the final 25 seconds of regulation, including a pair by Jabari Smith Jr. with eight seconds left and the Rockets leading by three points, to force overtime.

Dillon Brooks led the Rockets with a season-high 29 points and shot 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Jalen Green added 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Jock Landale chipped in 13 points off the bench.

Pacers 117, Heat 115

With sixth place at stake in the Eastern Conference, backup point guard T.J. McConnell posted 22 points and five assists as host Indiana defeated Miami.

Myles Turner added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who got off to a hot start and held off a late Heat rally. With the win, Indiana extended its lead over Miami to 1 1/2 games. The top six teams in each conference are guaranteed playoff berths. Teams seven through 10 will compete in the play-in round.

Miami was led by Jimmy Butler, who had a game-high 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Celtics 124, Blazers 107

Jaylen Brown tossed in a team-high 26 points and Boston stretched its home winning streak to 13 games by beating Portland.

The Celtics' Payton Pritchard made 9 of 13 field goals and finished the game with 20 points and eight assists. Kristaps Porzingis added 12 points, 10 rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals for Boston, which played without leading scorer Jayson Tatum (knee contusion).

The Blazers' Dalano Banton came off the bench to score a game-high 28 points. He also had nine assists.

Warriors 118, Jazz 110

Klay Thompson scored 25 of his game-high 32 points in the first half, Jonathan Kuminga recorded a double-double and Golden State took care of business with a victory over Utah in San Francisco.

Hitting nine of his 11 shots from the field, Kuminga finished with 21 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis chipped in with 16 points apiece for the Warriors, who played without star Stephen Curry (rest) and won for the seventh time in its past eight games.

Johnny Juzang poured in a career-best 27 points for the Jazz, who lost their 12th straight. Keyonte George backed Juzang with 25 points, while Collin Sexton had 15 to go with a team-high seven assists.

Thunder 121, Hornets 118

Aaron Wiggins scored a season-high 26 points and Josh Giddey had a triple-double as short-handed Oklahoma City beat host Charlotte.

Wiggins finished with a career-high six steals and tied his season high with five assists. Giddey finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for his third triple-double of the campaign. Chet Holmgren added 20 points and 10 boards.

All eight players who saw the floor for the Hornets scored in double figures, with Grant Williams leading the way with 19 points. Vasilije Micic, who was acquired in the trade that sent Hayward to Oklahoma City, had 17 points and 10 assists.

Raptors 130, Wizards 122

Immanuel Quickley had 31 points and 13 assists and Toronto defeated visiting Washington.

RJ Barrett added 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Raptors, who won the season series 3-1.

Deni Avdija had 32 points and 10 rebounds and Jordan Poole had 29 points and 12 assists for the Wizards, who set a club record with their 64th loss. Corey Kispert scored 21 points, Patrick Baldwin Jr. had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Tristan Vukcevic had 11 points.

Pelicans 113, Suns 105

Zion Williamson had 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and visiting New Orleans ended a four-game losing streak by beating Phoenix.

Williamson was returning from a one-game absence due to a finger contusion as the Pelicans won for just the second time in their past seven games. CJ McCollum scored a team-high 31 points, followed by 15 from Jose Alvarado, who was returning from a five-game absence due to an oblique strain.

Bradley Beal scored 33 points to lead the Suns. Devin Booker had 25 points and seven assists, Kevin Durant added 23 points and Grayson Allen had 11 for sixth-place Phoenix, which saw its three-game winning streak end but remained ahead of New Orleans because it won the season series 2-1.

Kings 107, Nets 77

De'Aaron Fox had a team-high 20 points, while Domantas Sabonis chipped in with 18 points and 20 rebounds to help Sacramento defeat host Brooklyn.

The Kings swept the Nets for the second straight year in the home-and-home series. Keegan Murray had 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and four blocks for the Kings. Trey Lyles added 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

Cam Thomas paced the Nets with 21 points. Jalen Wilson had 11 points and six rebounds. Trendon Watford added 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Knicks 122, Bucks 109

Jalen Brunson scored 43 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor to lead visiting New York to a comeback win in Milwaukee, handing the Bucks their fourth straight loss.

The Knicks also got 26 points from former Buck Donte DiVincenzo on 8-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Isaiah Hartenstein scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 28 points along with 15 boards and eight assists. Bobby Portis came off the bench to score 24 on 10-of-15 shooting while Damian Lillard scored 23.

Magic 113, Bulls 98

Paolo Banchero scored a team-high 24 points as Orlando knocked off visiting Chicago to stay in a third-place tie in the Eastern Conference.

Jalen Suggs added 19 for the Magic, followed by Markelle Fultz's 17 off the bench. Orlando has won four of its past five games.

DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 30 points, while Javonte Green finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Andre Drummond collected 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who have dropped two of three games.

Timberwolves 127, Lakers 117

Naz Reid supplied 31 points and 11 rebounds, Anthony Edwards added 26 points and eight assists and visiting Minnesota moved back into a tie for first place in the Western Conference with a win over short-handed Los Angeles.

Rudy Gobert finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 15 points as the Timberwolves won after scoring a season-low 87 points in a road loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

Rui Hachimura scored 30 points and Jaxson Hayes notched 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who were without LeBron James because of flu-like symptoms and did not have Anthony Davis after the first quarter after he took a blow from Kyle Anderson near his left eye as he scored on a dunk.

PACERS BEAT BUCKS 129-119 TO ADVANCE TO FACE LAKERS IN NBA IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT FINAL

Tyrese Haliburton. AP Photo 

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton hit his third 3-pointer with less than a minute left, pounded his chest, and looked down at his wrist to let everyone know one thing: “It’s our time!”

Haliburton had 27 points and 15 assists and the Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-119 on Thursday night to advance to the championship game in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament.

The Pacers will face the Los Angeles Lakers for the title Saturday night. The Lakers routed New Orleans 133-89 in the second semifinal.

“We’re playing the right way and we’re shocking the world right now, we’re going to continue to do that,” Haliburton said. "And as long as we play the right way, we know we’re going to be in every basketball game.”

Myles Turner added 26 points for Indiana. Obi Toppin had 14 on 6-of-8 shooting, Isaiah Jackson chipped in 11 and Bruce Brown had 10.

Indiana is averaging a whopping 132.6 points during the tournament. Overall, they are averaging 128.3 this season — 131.7 over the last 14 games.