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 on Tuesday night in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. 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 best-of-seven series. The Bucks controlled the contest despite both Giannis

Jamal Murray hit a tiebreaking 14-footer with four seconds left to send the host Denver Nuggets to the Western Conference semifinals with a 108-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series on Monday. The second-seeded Nuggets won the best-of-seven series 4-1 and will face the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals beginning Saturday in Denver. “This series definitely got us ready for the next series,” Nuggets

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams scored 24 points each, Gilgeous-Alexander added 10 rebounds and the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder completed a first-round playoff sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans with a 97-89 victory on Monday. Williams put up eight of his points during a pivotal 10-0 fourth-quarter run for the top-seeded Thunder, who advance to face either the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers or the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals. Oklahoma City’s Chet

Anthony Edwards scored 31 of his 40 points in the second half and the Minnesota Timberwolves completed a four-game sweep of the host Phoenix Suns with a 122-116 victory on Sunday night in their Western Conference first-round series. Edwards made seven 3-pointers and had nine rebounds and six assists for the third-seeded Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns added 28 points and 10 rebounds as Minnesota won a playoff series for the first time in 20 years. “I

Jalen Brunson scored a career playoff-high 47 points to go along with 10 assists as the New York Knicks defeated the host Philadelphia 76ers 97-92 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round series on Sunday. Brunson set a franchise playoff scoring record and also became the first player in franchise history to post at least 30 points and 10 assists in consecutive playoff games. The Knicks lead the series 3-1 with Game 5 set

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points and the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder took a 3-0 series lead by routing the New Orleans Pelicans 106-85 on Saturday afternoon. Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams added 21 points each and Luguentz Dort had 12 for the No. 1 seed Thunder, who will try to complete a sweep of the Western Conference first-round series Monday night in New Orleans. “We just try to clear the hurdle that’s in front of

Anthony Edwards recorded 36 points and nine rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the host Phoenix Suns 126-109 on Friday night to take a 3-0 playoff series lead for the first time in franchise history. The Timberwolves will aim for a sweep in Game 4 of the best-of-seven, first-round Western Conference series on Sunday night in Phoenix. Rudy Gobert added 19 points and 14 rebounds and Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 13 boards for

Nikola Jokic compiled 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists as the visiting Denver Nuggets moved one win away from the Western Conference semifinals with a 112-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Aaron Gordon added 29 points with 15 rebounds as the Nuggets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Jamal Murray scored 22 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the Nuggets extend their

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and Chet Holmgren added 26 as the host Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-92 on Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference first-round playoff series. Oklahoma City owns its first 2-0 edge in a playoff series since the 2013 first round. Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is set for Saturday in New Orleans. Gilgeous-Alexander, who shot 13 of 19 from the floor, produced