NBA Playoffs: the Knicks advance and the Bucks sink again

(VOZ MEDIA / AFP) The New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-115 on Thursday, winning the series 4-2 and will now face the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

The game in Philadelphia was decided when Knicks forward Josh Hart, fed by Jalen Brunson, scored a triple that put New York up 114-111 with just 25.6 seconds left.

Sixers star Joel Embiid cut the deficit to one with a layup and just 20.8 seconds left, however, he committed a foul and the Knicks were able to close out the game with free throws from Donte DiVincenzo and Brunson.

Brunson scored 41 points and had 12 assists, DiVincenzo scored 23 points with two steals and three blocked shots, OG Anunoby contributed 19 points and Hart had 16 points with 14 rebounds for New York.

Embiid, last season's MVP, whose season was cut short by knee surgery in February, scored 39 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Buddy Hield added 20 points, but Tyrese Maxey, who scored 46 in Tuesday's series overtime win, was held to 17.

The Knicks, who have qualified for the second round for the second consecutive season, will host the Pacers on Monday in the first game of their series.

The Bucks sink again

The Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a convincing 120-98 win over the Milwaukee Bucks to seal their 4-2 series lead.

All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton contributed a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists, but it was reserve guard Obi Toppin who led the Pacers' scoring with a career-high 21 points in the playoffs.

TJ McConnell added 20 points off the bench, along with nine assists and four steals, and the Pacers' reserves contributed a whopping 50 points.

Indiana led by 12 at halftime, and after the Bucks cut the deficit to seven following a Brook Lopez layup with 1:05 left in the third quarter, the Pacers went on an 11-0 scoring run and escaped in the last period.

Damian Lillard, an eight-time All-Star, returned after a two-game absence due to injury and led the Bucks with 28 points.

Lopez and Bobby Portis each scored 20 points, but with two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo still sidelined by a calf injury suffered late in the regular season, the Bucks couldn't find an answer.

The Bucks, who won the title in 2021, lost in the first round for the second consecutive season after losing to Miami last year.

The Pacers had not won a playoff series since 2014, when they reached the Eastern Conference finals.