Indianapolis. Obi Topin scored 21 points, TJ McConnell added 20 points and nine assists, and the Indiana Pacers won a series to advance to the postseason for the first time in a decade by beating the Milwaukee Bucks 120-98 on Thursday.
After resolving the first round series of the playoffs in six games, the Pacers will face the winner of the series between Philadelphia and New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Knicks have a 3-2 lead in the series that continued later.
Indiana achieved its goal 30 years after it swept Orlando 3-0 to advance in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
The Bucks were again without their star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek, a two-time MVP winner, did not play in any postseason games and has been out since April 9 with a left calf strain.
Damian Lillard returned from an Achilles injury and played well — but he wasn’t as dominant as he was in the first two games, in which he scored 69 points. Lillard finished with 28 points and was 7 of 16 from the field.
Bobby Portis Jr. added 20 points and 15 rebounds for Milwaukee. Brook López totaled 20 points and Khris Middleton 14, with eight boards.
Two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton finished with 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for Indiana. Pascal Siakam had 19 points and seven rebounds.
Indiana finished the season series against the Bucks 8-3 and Milwaukee was eliminated in the first round for the second consecutive year.
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– 2024-05-05 17:25:19
