Pacers oust Bucks to end drought
Obi Toppin scored 21 points and T.J. McConnell had 20 points with nine assists as the Indiana Pacers won a playoff series for the first time in a decade, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 12098 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 later Thursday.
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.
Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points, 10 assists and six 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.
Aurora’s Andrew Nembhard had 14 points for the Pacers and added five rebounds and five assists.
Indiana went 8-3 against the Bucks this season and handed Milwaukee its second straight firstround exit.
Indiana turned the game with a 23-3 first-quarter spurt that made it 29-19 and the Pacers never trailed again.