INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 12 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks 123-115 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Indiana has won five of the last six playoff games between the teams and never trailed in this one. The Pacers had lost three of four regular-season games to the Bucks. The teams will meet for the 18th time in the last two seasons on Friday, when Game 3 is played in Milwaukee.
Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists, and All-NBA guard Damain Lillard had 14 points in his first game back from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Lillard was 4 of 13 from the field in 37 minutes, his first game action since March 18 and his first playoff game with Antetokounmpo, who heard a steady diet of countdowns on his free throws.
Bobby Portis Jr. finished with 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and 12 rebounds for the Bucks.
THUNDER 118, GRIZZLIES 99
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, and Oklahoma City dominated Memphis to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Jalen Williams added 24 points and Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City delivered a strong follow-up to its record-setting 131-80 win on Sunday in the series opener. The Thunder have won all six games against the Grizzlies this season by double digits.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 26 points and Ja Morant added 23 for Memphis, which will host Game 3 on Thursday.
LAKERS 94, TIMBERWOLVES 85
LOS ANGELES ( AP) — Luka Doncic had 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, and Los Angeles fought back to even their first-round series with Minnesota with a victory in Game 2.
LeBron James scored 21 points and Austin Reaves added 16 for the third-seeded Lakers, who rebounded from their blowout loss in Game 1 by jumping out to an early 22-point lead and hanging on through a physical matchup with sixth-seeded Minnesota.
Julius Randle scored 27 points and Anthony Edwards had 25 for the Timberwolves, who lost most of their offensive fluidity from their impressive series-opening win.
James added 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who never lost control of a chippy, choppy game with 46 combined personal fouls and multiple video reviews. James and Rui Hachimura both took hard shots to the face, and Hachimura played the second half in a mask.
Game 3 is Friday night in Minneapolis.
The Associated Press