Indiana Pacers News

Obi Toppin scored 21 points and T.J. McConnell added 20 as the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks with a 120-98 victory on Thursday in Game 6 of an Eastern Conference first-round series in Indianapolis.Toppin contributed eight rebounds and McConnell had nine assists as the sixth-seeded Pacers enjoyed a decisive 50-10 edge in bench points to record a 4-2 win in the best-of-seven series.Indiana advanced to the second round to face the winner of the series between the second-seeded New York Knicks and seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks hold a 3-2 advantage in that first-round series heading into Game 6 later Thursday night in Philadelphia.Pascal Siakam scored 19 points, Tyrese Haliburton collected 17 points and 10 assists and Aaron Nesmith had 15 points to send the Pacers to their first playoff series win since 2014.Indiana shot a robust 54.1 percent from the floor and held a 21-6 edge in fastbreak points to defeat Milwaukee for the fifth time in as many home games during the regular season and playoffs.Milwaukee's Damian Lillard scored 28 points in his return from a two-game absence caused by right Achilles tendinitis.Brook Lopez scored 20 points and Bobby Portis added 20 to go along with 15 rebounds for the third-seeded Bucks, who made just 7 of 27 attempts (25.9 percent) from 3-point range.

The undermanned Milwaukee Bucks were able to stave off elimination in their last outing despite being without the services of superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.The Bucks hope their two stars are able to return to the court on Thursday night when they play Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.Bobby Portis responded after an early ejection in Game 4 by collecting 29 points and 10 rebounds to pace Milwaukee to a 115-92 victory over Indiana in Game 5 on Tuesday. The third-seeded Bucks trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series against the sixth-seeded Pacers."We have to find a way to win, whatever it takes," said Khris Middleton, who matched Portis with 29 points to go along with 12 rebounds and five assists. "We're still confident. Our backs were up against the wall (on Tuesday), we had a great home crowd that got us going. So we're going to have to find a way. That's the only way to put it, find a way to get this next one and force a Game 7."Perhaps the "next one" will see the returns of Antetokounmpo and Lillard, who are scheduled to work out on Wednesday. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said both players are "very, very, very close" to returning to game action.Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP, has been sidelined since April 9 due to a strained left calf.Lillard, an eight-time All-Star, has missed the past two games with an Achilles injury. He averaged 32.3 points in the first three games of the series.With both stars out of Milwaukee's lineup, Myles Turner admitted that Indiana missed a golden opportunity on Tuesday to record its first playoff series win since 2014.

Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis scored 29 points apiece and the injury-riddled Milwaukee Bucks stayed alive with a 115-92 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their first-round series in the Eastern Conference.Portis made 14 of 24 field-goal attempts and collected 10 rebounds. Middleton had 12 rebounds and five assists as Milwaukee cut its deficit to 3-2 in the series.The Bucks controlled the contest despite both Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and Damian Lillard (Achilles) sitting out. Antetokounmpo has missed the entire series and Lillard has sat out the past two games.Tyrese Haliburton scored 16 points and Myles Turner added 13 for Indiana. Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard had 12 apiece.Game 6 is Thursday night in Indianapolis.Malik Beasley scored 18 points and joined Middleton in making four 3-pointers. Patrick Beverley recorded 13 points and 12 assists, and Brook Lopez had 12 points for the Bucks.Milwaukee outscored Indiana 64-36 over the two middle quarters to take control.The Bucks shot 52.4 percent from the field, including 11 of 29 from 3-point range.Milwaukee opened the third quarter with nine straight points to turn a five-point advantage into a 62-48 lead on Middleton's driving hoop.Indiana moved within nine on Nembhard's layup with 6:46 left in the quarter. Lopez scored the Bucks' next four points and Portis later added a layup to give Milwaukee a 72-57 lead with 5:25 remaining.Later in the quarter, Beasley knocked down two 3-pointers in a span of 27 seconds as Milwaukee opened up an 82-63 lead with 2:09 left.

The Milwaukee Bucks are on the brink of playoff elimination much sooner than forecasted.And it could happen with their top two players out of the lineup.Third-seeded Milwaukee aims to keep its season going Tuesday night when it hosts the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first-round series. Sixth-seeded Indiana holds a 3-1 series lead.The Bucks have been without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) for the entire series and lost star guard Damian Lillard (Achilles) with an injury late in Game 3.Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said the focus has to be narrowed to Tuesday's game -- regardless of who is available for the Bucks in the must-win game. Antetokounmpo and Lillard were listed as doubtful on the injury report Monday evening."One game at a time," Rivers said. "We have two games left at home. They have one game left at home. That's how you can look at it. The first thing is that we have to win the first game at home. We can talk about the rest after that."The Bucks have badly missed Antetokounmpo in the series, but his teammates understand that he hasn't been able to physically go against Indiana."He's the ultimate team player, but obviously we don't want him to put himself in any danger he shouldn't be in," Milwaukee center Brook Lopez said. "He's going through all the rehab stuff, handling it the right way, getting his treatment. He's been around the team, which has been great for us."The guys that are going into Game 5, we have to prepare the way we've been preparing, and we'll see what happens. We just want Giannis to do whatever the smartest thing is for him to do."Lillard averaged 32.3 points in the first three games of the series. Khris Middleton is averaging 26.3 with a high of 42 for the Bucks.The Pacers dropped the first game of the best-of-seven series before winning the last three contests. Indiana scored 94 points in its loss and has averaged 124 points in the three victories.

Victor Wembanyama will return to his native France next year to lead the San Antonio Spurs in two regular-season games against the Indiana Pacers.The NBA Paris Games 2025 will take place on Jan. 23 and 25, the league announced Monday.Wembanyama, the presumptive 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft after starring for Metropolitans 92 in the French capital.

Myles Turner scored 29 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 24 to fuel the Indiana Pacers to a 126-113 victory over the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series in Indianapolis.Turner sank seven 3-pointers for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who shot 51.2 percent from beyond the arc and 51.7 percent overall to seize a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Tuesday in Milwaukee.Haliburton made five 3-pointers despite being added to the injury report as questionable approximately 90 minutes before tipoff due to a balky back. He avenged an abysmal 1-for-12 performance from beyond the arc in Indiana's 121-118 overtime victory in Game 3 on Friday.Milwaukee's Brook Lopez recorded 27 points and nine rebounds and Khris Middleton added 25 and 10, respectively.Malik Beasley added 20 points for the third-seeded Bucks, who were short-handed due to the early ejection of Bobby Portis in addition to the absences of injured stars Damian Lillard and two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Lillard aggravated his Achilles late in the fourth quarter of Friday's game, while Antetokounmpo has been sidelined since straining his left calf in a game on April 9.Lopez's putback trimmed Indiana's lead to 67-66 early in the third quarter before Haliburton drained three consecutive 3-pointers to stake the Pacers to a 10-point lead. Milwaukee countered with a 10-5 run, highlighted by Lopez's pair of 3-pointers, but Indiana scored 14 of the next 16 points.

The Indiana Pacers will look to push the injury-riddled Milwaukee Bucks to the brink of elimination on Sunday when they play Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series in Indianapolis.All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton converted a three-point play with 1.6 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the sixth-seeded Pacers to a 121-118 win over the third-seeded Bucks in Game 3 on Friday. Haliburton recorded the fourth postseason triple-double in franchise history after finishing with 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds, helping Indiana seize a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.The Pacers are bidding to win a playoff series for the first time since reaching the 2014 conference finals.That Haliburton would be the hero was unlikely given the way his game went, despite the triple-double. He was 8-of-22 from the field and 1-of-12 on 3-point shots."I just knew I was shooting it no matter what," Haliburton said. "Didn't know what I was going to get to, it was just kind of based off of feel out there. Khris (Middleton) pushed Pascal (Siakam) up to tell Patrick (Beverley) to go under, so as soon as I saw Patrick kind of turn his head I just reacted and that opened everything up across the middle and I finally made a shot. I couldn't buy a bucket tonight."Said Aaron Nesmith: "Tyrese does what he does. We need him to be who he is, and that's the player that he is. That's the player that he can be. We're just happy to have him on our side."Myles Turner finished with 29 points and nine rebounds and Siakam added 17 and nine, respectively. The Pacers' productive offense proved to be just enough to overcome a 42-point performance from Milwaukee's Middleton.Middleton made a 3-pointer to tie the score at 111-111 with 2.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The three-time All-Star also answered Nesmith's corner 3 by banking home his shot from beyond the arc with eight seconds left in overtime.Not too shabby considering Middleton was listed as questionable to play on Friday after spraining his right ankle during the first quarter of Game 2."Felt good enough to go, so I feel like once I'm out there, there's no excuses," Middleton said. "I just gotta play, forget about what I'm going through and just play."

Tyrese Haliburton converted a three-point play with 1.6 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Indiana Pacers to a 121-118 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series in Indianapolis.Haliburton gained separation after using a nifty crossover on Patrick Beverley before sinking a shot from the foul line. He added a free throw to complete his 18-point, 16-assist, 10-rebound performance and overcome a scintillating 42-point effort by Milwaukee's Khris Middleton.Myles Turner collected 29 points and nine rebounds and Pascal Siakam added 17 and nine, respectively, to help the sixth-seeded Pacers seize a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series.Game 4 is Sunday in Indianapolis.Middleton drained a 3-pointer to forge a tie at 111-111 with 2.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Middleton was not done, however, as he answered Aaron Nesmith's corner 3 by banking home his shot from beyond the arc with eight seconds left in overtime before Haliburton's heroics.Milwaukee's Damian Lillard overcame an apparent left leg injury late in the first quarter to finish with 28 points, eight assists and three steals. Bobby Portis collected 17 points and 18 rebounds for the third-seeded Bucks, who played their sixth straight game without two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf strain).

Pascal Siakam's blistering start to the postseason has enabled the upstart Indiana Pacers to wrest home-court advantage from the Milwaukee Bucks.Siakam will look to remain hot on Friday when the sixth-seeded Pacers welcome the third-seeded Bucks to Indianapolis for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.Siakam followed up his 36-point, 13-rebound performance in the Pacers' 109-94 setback in the series opener on Sunday with 37 points, 11 boards and six assists in Indiana's 125-108 triumph on Tuesday. He is the first NBA player to open the playoffs with consecutive performances of at least 35 points and 10 rebounds since Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain in 1967."We've got to be the hungry team," Siakam said. "We've got to be the team that's coming in and wanting to show something. That's the attitude that we've got to have against those guys, because they've done it before."Siakam has done it before, too. He was a member of the 2019 Toronto Raptors' title-winning team."His experience in the playoffs is so valuable," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Siakam. "He's not a guy that's going to get rattled by anything. Never has once since January, since we got him. He's a guy that people confide in and look up to."Myles Turner collected 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks to help even the series."I'm just excited to get back to Gainbridge (Fieldhouse)," Turner said. "It's going to be a (heck) of an environment in there. I've been waiting a long time to give the home fans what they deserve. And I'm just really, really excited for that environment."Milwaukee's Damian Lillard will look to continue his trend of strong starts on Friday. He scored all 35 of his points in the first half in the series opener before scoring 26 of his 34 points over the first two quarters on Tuesday.

Pascal Siakam recorded 37 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and the Indiana Pacers evened their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series with an impressive 125-108 victory over the host Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night in Game 2.Myles Turner added 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who snapped a 10-game postseason losing streak dating back to 2018.Andrew Nembhard scored 20 points, Tyrese Haliburton registered 12 points and 12 assists and Aaron Nesmith had 11 points and seven assists for Indiana, which had 38 assists on 50 made baskets.Damian Lillard scored 34 points and Brook Lopez added 22 for the third-seeded Bucks. Both players made six 3-pointers.Milwaukee was again without star Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf).Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Friday at Indianapolis.Siakam, who made 16 of 23 shots, established a personal playoff scoring mark for a second straight game. He had 36 points in Game 1.Khris Middleton added 15 points and six assists and Bobby Portis had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Milwaukee, which shot 44.2 percent from the field, including 13 of 32 (40.6 percent) from 3-point range.The Pacers made 55.6 percent of their attempts and were 16 of 36 (44.4 percent) from behind the arc.Milwaukee scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to move within 92-88 on Pat Connaughton's three-point play with 11:17 left in the game.Indiana answered with eight straight points and 23 of the next 27 to rock the Bucks and open up a 23-point lead.

Damian Lillard went more than 34 months between playoff games, and he was armed for the moment in Game 1.Lillard announced his presence by scoring 35 points in the first half of his initial playoff game with Milwaukee. He could well again be in the lead role when the Bucks set out to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series with the visiting Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.Former two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (strained left calf) missed Sunday's 109-94 victory in Game 1 and could be out of the lineup again on Tuesday.Fear not, Lillard will be ready to deliver more blows if Antetokounmpo can't answer the bell for Round 2."He's got that prizefighter-like mentality," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of Lillard. "It's almost like he's training for the fight. When the bell rings, he seems to be ready."Lillard played in 61 playoff games during his 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, but the club wasn't part of the festivities the past two campaigns and he requested a trade following the 2022-23 season.He ended up with the Bucks, a top championship contender. And it certainly was ‘Dame Time' in the first half of Game 1 when Lillard scored with ease."I don't think that it's all on me, but I know that I've got to be a little bit more aggressive and I've got to step forward a little bit more assertively," Lillard said. "In the playoffs ... it's about setting a tone. We're going to see this team a lot of times, and you want to establish yourself, especially on your home floor. That was just my mentality, to come out and try to set the tone."Lillard didn't score in the second half, but that wasn't a problem. The Bucks led 69-42 at halftime and cruised the rest of the way.Khris Middleton (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Bobby Portis (15 points, 11 rebounds) also had big performances for Milwaukee.As for the Pacers, they just want to notch a win. Any type will do.The Game 1 setback was Indiana's 10th straight postseason defeat, a streak that began with a Game 7 loss in the 2018 first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.The Pacers only led in the opening few minutes against Milwaukee. After trailing by nine at the end of the first quarter, they were outscored 39-21 in the second.

Damian Lillard scored all 35 of his points in the first half to fuel the host Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-94 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference series.Lillard made 11 of 24 shots from the floor and 6 of 11 from 3-point range for the Bucks, who outscored the Pacers 39-21 in the second quarter. Milwaukee hosts Indiana in Game 2 on Tuesday night.Khris Middleton collected 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Bobby Portis added 15 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out while starting in place of Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf). Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP, has sat out the team's past four games.Pascal Siakam recorded 36 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who missed their first 14 attempts from 3-point range and finished 8-of-39 from beyond the arc. Myles Turner added 17 points and eight rebounds, and T.J. McConnell had 10 points off the bench.Tyrese Haliburton made a long jumper to trim Indiana's deficit to 20-19 in the first quarter before Malik Beasley drained a 3-pointer and Pat Connaughton converted a four-point play. Lillard capped his 19-point first quarter with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.The Bucks turned it on in the second quarter. Jae Crowder made a layup after a defensive breakdown by Indiana to cap a 10-0 run and give Milwaukee a 44-23 lead with 7:37 left in the first half.

The Milwaukee Bucks lost six of their last eight games to limp into the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference.With the availability of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo in question, the Bucks bid to get back on track Sunday when they open their first-round series at home against the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers.Indiana (47-35) won four of the five meetings against Milwaukee (49-33) this season, including in a tournament setting during the in-season tournament in December.Lillard has been nursing hip and adductor soreness since April 9, although he also played the following day against Orlando and again versus the Magic last Sunday. He participated in practice on Friday while Antetokounmpo remained out of live drills due to a left calf injury that has sidelined him for the last three games."He looked good," Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said of Lillard.Lillard admitted he didn't push himself while competing in the Bucks' regular-season finale."After that it was just like we got a week to get right, to get ready and that was kind of the focus," Lillard said on Friday. "I didn't want to go out there with my pride or doing anything unnecessary. That was kind of the plan."As for Antetokounmpo, well, it's a wait-and-see approach."I don't know, yet. No," Rivers said of the two-time NBA MVP's availability for Sunday. "We're still hoping. He hadn't done anything. So, would we throw him out there? Yeah. We would. But, for us, it's still we're not sure."Antetokounmpo averaged a robust 42.2 points and 13.0 rebounds in Milwaukee's season series against Indiana. He erupted for a franchise single-game-record 64 points in the Bucks' lone victory over the Pacers, a 140-126 decision on Dec. 13.While Indiana got the better of the season series, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said his team doesn't plan to look in its rearview mirror.

Myles Turner racked up 31 points and 12 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers clinched an Eastern Conference playoff spot with a 157-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday in Indianapolis.By matching its highest-scoring performance in franchise history, Indiana (47-35) guaranteed itself of at least the No. 6 seed in the East, and the Pacers can grab the fifth spot in the conference if the Orlando Magic lose to the Milwaukee Bucks.Pascal Siakam added 28 points as one of seven Pacers scorers in double figures. T.J. McConnell supplied 17 points, Doug McDermott netted 15 and Tyrese Haliburton finished with 12 to go along with 13 assists.Indiana shot a stunning 65 percent overall (65 of 100) and went 19-for-36 from beyond the arc (52.8 percent).Dejounte Murray paced Atlanta (36-46) with 32 points. Mouhamed Gueye had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Bogdan Bogdanovic chipped in 18 points for the Hawks, who are set to face the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the play-in tournament.It didn't take long for the Pacers to turn the game into a rout once the second half rolled around, with Turner's layup making it 98-76 with 9:29 remaining in the third quarter.Atlanta trailed by at least 16 the rest of the way.

Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 33 points, helping lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 129-120 win over the visiting Indiana Pacers Friday.Jarrett Allen added 29 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland (48-33), which clinched a playoff spot with Friday's win. Darius Garland and Caris LeVert chipped in 16 apiece, while Evan Mobley scored 12.Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam led eight players in double figures Indiana (46-35) with 19 points apiece. Myles Turner put up 17 and T.J. McConnell scored 16 for the Pacers, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.Aaron Nesmith scored 15, Jalen Smith had 11 and Obi Toppin and Andrew Nembhard each added 10. Haliburton also had a game-high 12 assists.After leading by 11 points at halftime, Cleveland picked up where it left off in the third quarter as Garland began the second half with a mid-range jumper, extending the lead to 72-59. From there, an 8-2 Indiana scoring run was stamped Haliburton's triple, cutting its deficit to seven with 10:01 left in the third.Indiana later finished the third quarter on a 9-2 run, as Toppin's dunk with 11.1 seconds left cut Cleveland's lead to 97-94 entering the fourth.Georges Niang started the fourth quarter with his third triple of the game, giving the Cavaliers a 100-94 advantage. McConnell answered with a layup, but Garland's stepback triple on the next possession forced an Indiana timeout.Still trailing by seven, a pair of free throws from Nembhard and Haliburton's fourth triple of the game cut the Pacers' deficit to 107-105 with 6:29 left.

The Indiana Pacers will attempt to officially lock down an Eastern Conference playoff berth on Sunday afternoon when they face the Atlanta Hawks in Indianapolis.Currently sitting in sixth place in the East, Indiana (46-35) enters the regular-season finale holding the last guaranteed playoff spot in the conference.But unfortunately for the Pacers, they find themselves in a tight race, as the fifth-place Orlando Magic and seventh-place Philadelphia 76ers also sport 46-35 records. Indiana owns the tiebreaker against the Sixers, but it is not as fortunate with the Magic.Tiebreakers won't even come into play for Indiana if it goes out and wins on Sunday, as the Pacers would earn a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2020.Indiana reached the play-in tournament in 2021, but it came up one win shy of the playoffs."He likened it to a Game 7," Pacers guard T.J McConnell said of how coach Rick Carlisle is viewing the meeting with Atlanta. "We win and we're in. We've gotta be prepared, fired up and in front of our crowd, hopefully that will give us an advantage."Indiana could have punched its ticket to the playoffs on Friday but a 129-120 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers spoiled that opportunity. Eight players scored in double figures for the Pacers, including Tyrese Haliburton, who finished with 19 points and 12 assists.However, Haliburton was held in check in the fourth quarter, scoring just three points on 1-of-3 shooting."It was a poor last three minutes by me," Haliburton said. "I gotta be better defensively, executing better offensively. We were right there."Meanwhile, the Hawks (36-45) have nothing to worry about in terms of moving up or down in the standings. Atlanta will be heading into the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed in the East, meaning it will have to win two games in order to reach the playoffs.The Hawks will visit the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the play-in on Wednesday.

Two Central Division rivals face off for the last time in the regular season on Friday when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Indiana Pacers in a game with major postseason seeding implications.In the penultimate game for each team, fourth-place Cleveland (47-33) has a one-game cushion over Indiana (46-34), which currently sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers enter play with the same record as the fifth-place Orlando Magic, who have a 2-1 head-to-head tiebreaker over Indiana.The winner of Friday's game at Cleveland will see its magic number reduced to zero and avoid the play-in tournament for teams that finish seventh through 10th.Aiming for their first playoff appearance since 2020, the Pacers are playing some of their best ball of the season. Winners in five of their last six, Indiana hopes its high-scoring offense can lead the team to its first playoff series victory since the 2014 Eastern Conference semifinals.Averaging a league-best 122.9 points per game, the offensive prowess was on display Tuesday in Toronto, where they beat the Raptors 140-123 behind Tyrese Haliburton's 30 points and Obi Toppin's 23 off the bench. The pair combined for 20-for-30 shooting from the field in a game that the Pacers led by just a point at halftime."We had a slow start, which wasn't good," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We got things back together and the bench was a big part of it."Another one of those Pacer bench contributors was rookie Ben Sheppard, who chipped in eight of his 11 points in the second half."He had a couple of huge shots, and one against the shot clock in the second half, which was enormous," Carlisle said of Sheppard. "We know that he's going to be able to scramble around defensively and guard different positions. He's going to do the things in our system that we need, which is to run hard, cut hard and make open shots."Sheppard is averaging 4.4 points per game this season and has only committed 13 turnovers in 774 minutes.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 30 points and the visiting Indiana Pacers defeated the Toronto Raptors 140-123 Tuesday night to solidify their spot in sixth place of the Eastern Conference standings.Obi Toppin added 23 points off the bench and former Raptor standout Pascal Siakam scored 16 points with nine rebounds for the Pacers (46-34), who have won three in a row and five of six.T.J. McConnell scored 17 points for the Pacers, Myles Turner added 16 points and Ben Sheppard scored 11.RJ Barrett scored 23 points for Toronto in the team's final home game of the season.Kelly Olynyk added 22 points and Javon Freeman-Liberty had a season-best 20 points for the Raptors (25-54), who had won their two previous games after a 15-game losing streak. Bruce Brown and Gary Trent Jr. each scored 16 points and Jordan Nwora had 11 points.Indiana led by 106-91 entering the fourth quarter. Nwora's 3-pointer trimmed the deficit to 12 with 10:06 to play. Indiana responded with a six-point burst before Barrett's dunk cut the deficit to 128-114 points with 4:39 remaining.Freeman-Liberty scored 14 points to help Toronto to a 35-25 lead after one quarter. Indiana made six turnovers leading to six Toronto points.Toppin's 3-point shot cut the lead to six with 8:11 to play in the second quarter. After Toronto took a nine-point lead Indiana scored the next five points. The lead dwindled to one when Andrew Nembhard made a 3-pointer with 2:11 left.

With sixth place at stake in the Eastern Conference, backup point guard T.J. McConnell posted 22 points and five assists as the host Indiana Pacers defeated the Miami Heat 117-115 on Sunday night in Indianapolis.Myles Turner added 22 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, which got off to a hot start and held off a late Miami rally.Pacers starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who started the day leading the NBA in assists (11.0), had a quiet game. He had 12 points and eight assists.But McConnell filled the void, making 11 of 14 shots. It was yet another gritty performance for an undersized player (6-1) who was undrafted and yet is in his ninth year in the league.With the win, Indiana (45-34) extended its lead over Miami (43-35) 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.Indiana, thanks to 66.7-percent shooting, led 38-24 at the end of the first quarter. The Heat shot just 39.1 percent, including 0-for-7 on 3-pointers.Miami trailed by as many 22 points in the second quarter before trimming its deficit to 63-46 at halftime.

The Indiana Pacers will be out to solidify their hold on a top-six playoff position Tuesday night when they visit the Toronto Raptors.The Pacers (45-34) are the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference after holding on for a 117-115 home victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday.The Raptors (25-53) will complete their home schedule seeking their second season-best three-game winning streak of the season. The first was from Feb. 22-26.After a 15-game losing streak, the Raptors won their second in a row 130-122 over the visiting Washington Wizards on Sunday.Toronto holds a 2-1 advantage in the season series with Indiana. The visiting team has won each game.This will be the second time former Raptors star Pascal Siakam has played in Toronto since he was traded to the Pacers on Jan. 17.In Sunday's game against the Heat, the Pacers led by as many as 22 points but faded in the second half.Miami cut the margin to one point in the fourth quarter. Free throws by Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith helped the Pacers hold on."The fourth quarter was a situation where they were going to keep coming," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We knew it. It was a matter of bend not break, and hang in there. (Tyler) Herro hit a couple of hellacious shots. But guys at this time of year and these moments do those kinds of things. Our guys held up. It's a huge win for us."T.J. McConnell scored 22 points off the Indiana bench."Tonight was definitely a playoff-type game, a playoff-type atmosphere," McConnell said. "It was good for us to be on the right side of one of those. ... The maturity that we showed to take it one possession at a time and get the stops that we needed. The free throws down the stretch were huge, too."Turner had 22 points and 13 rebounds.