McConnell steps in, up to help 76ers stay alive

T.J. McConnell turned a surprise start into the save of the season and Dario Saric scored 25 points to help the 76ers stave off postseason elimination with a 103-92 win over the Celtics on Monday night in Philadelphia in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The 76ers still face daunting odds heading into Game 5 on Wednesday: No NBA team has ever come back from 3-0 down to win a playoff series.

McConnell had a careerhigh 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in only his second start of the season. The crowd chanted “TJ! TJ!” each time he touched the ball in the fourth quarter, and McConnell proved why he has been so valuable.

“It was a pretty special moment,” McConnell said of the chants. “I think we have the best fans in the NBA. They’ve been here through the dark times and they’ve certainly been here on our rise.”

Ben Simmons also scored 19 points for the 76ers to go along with 13 rebounds. Joel Embiid added his own double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Simmons’ emergence put McConnell on the bench, but he came through when the 76ers needed a lift.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 20 points and Marcus Morris had 17. LeBron James sent the Raptors into summer vacation for the third straight season as the Cavaliers completed a sweep of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Cleveland.

James finished with 29 points, 11 assists and spent some of the final 7 minutes, 38 seconds dancing near the bench during the Cavaliers’ 10th straight playoff win over the Raptors, who changed their system, roster and approach this season but still couldn’t find a way to beat the game’s best player.

Kevin Love added 23 points and J.R. Smith 15 for the Cavs, who can now rest while waiting for the Celtics-76ers series to end.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 18 points and Kyle Lowry had 10 assists to lead the exasperated Raptors. Their frustration hit its peak late in the third quarter when All-Star DeMar DeRozan was ejected for a flagrant foul.

The Cavaliers will be appearing in their fourth straight conference final despite a turbulent regular season and a bumpy start to the playoffs. They needed seven games to get past the Pacers before tormenting the Raptors again.

The Cavaliers took control with a 12-0 run over the final 2:12 of the first half, which gave them a 63-47 lead.