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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.
Milwaukee played the entire series without two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sustained a calf injury on April 9.
Lillard drained a pair of 3-pointers to help Milwaukee bolt out to a 13-6 lead before Indiana scored 23 of the game's next 29 points. The Pacers extended their advantage to 59-45 in the last minute of the first half when Toppin converted an alley-oop pass from Haliburton.
The Bucks trimmed the deficit to 85-78 with 1:05 left in the third quarter before Indiana answered by scoring the next 11 points. McConnell had a driving layup and two 3-pointers during that run.
Milwaukee pulled within 14 points before the Pacers countered with six in a row, capped by Ben Sheppard's 3-pointer with 8:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. The outcome was not in doubt the rest of the way.
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Former NBA 1st-Overall Pick Boston Celtics Must Consider Signing
Markelle Fultz played 21 games for the Sacramento Kings during the 2024-25 season. The former Washington star had averages of 2.9 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest while shooting 41.8%. This summer, Fultz became a free agent who is available to sign with any team in the league. On July 27, he still remains unsigned. One team who I believe should consider signing Fultz is the Boston Celtics. They are not expected to be a contender for the title (due to Jayson Tatum's injury), so they can use the year to take chances on other players. At this point in the summer, it's likely that Fultz could be signed for a minimum (or non-guaranteed deal). Fultz was initially the first pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. The longest tenure of his eight-year career came with the Orlando Magic (five seasons). During the 2023 season, Fultz had averages of 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals per contest while shooting 51.4% from the field and 31.0% from the three-point range in 60 games. The Celtics have a long history of getting the most out of their players. Fultz could end up thriving with stable orginzation such as the Celtics. He will be a name to keep an eye on before the start of training camp. Via The Orlando Magic (on March 18, 2023): "Markelle Fultz in March: 17.0 PTS 4.4 REB 6.3 AST 1.5 STL 55% FG"
Browns make curious decision with rookie QB Shedeur Sanders
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
Steelers' Troy Fautanu Admits To Internal Beef That Has Been Obvious Throughout Training Camp
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been easing their way into training camp ahead of the 2025 season. The players have just been wearing helmets and shorts, and the pads will come on soon. Pittsburgh's training camp is always known as being one of the most intense in the league, and that is because Head Coach Mike Tomlin has his team go full contact, which is something other coaches around the NFL try to avoid. The pads will come on on Tuesday, and fans should expect to see some skirmishes as emotions rise throughout the rest of camp. Practices in just helmets and shorts are difficult for the big guys in the trenches. It is essentially impossible to simulate blocking without pads on, so the defenders and offensive linemen are itching for when the team gets to go full contact. Second-year offensive lineman Troy Fautanu spoke to the media on Sunday, and he shared how things have been going at practice, while also noting that the two sides of the ball have been going at it. "You know, there's a lot of banter going on between the offense and the defense right now." Fautanu said. "As you guys could tell yesterday, things got a little rowdy. I mean, that's something that's normal. I'm super excited just to finally be able to play real football, because as an offensive lineman it's the worst thing to play football in shorts and t-shirts." Fautanu is probably itching to get back to full contact more than others after missing nearly all of his rookie season in 2024. He played in one game in Week 2 before suffering a knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the year. Tuesday will be the first time he gets to put the pads on and get truly physical in nearly a year. The way he described things, it sounds like there will probably be some confrontations as the offense and defense have already been going at it. Training camp is going to be a true test for Fautanu. He is the team's starting right tackle going into the season, and the organization is relying on the offensive line to take a step forward. He needs to try to live up to his first-round label, and he is going to have to do so while blocking TJ Watt in every practice. Watt is going to be moving around the defensive formation more often than usual, but most of his snaps will come when he is lined up over the right tackle. Fautanu is going to be tested on every snap, and if he can handle Watt, he can handle anyone in the league. Having to go up against Watt every day in practice is good for Fautanu in the long run. Practicing against the best is only going to make him better, and he won't have to block anyone during the 2025 regular season that is as good of a pass rusher as Watt. Steelers' Fautanu Could Solidify 2024 Draft For Pittsburgh It is already looking like the Steelers made a ton of right decisions during the 2024 NFL Draft. Zach Frazier had a spectacular rookie season in 2024, and he is looking like he could be one of the best centers in the league. Mason McCormick was a pleasant surprise at right tackle when he was thrust into the starting lineup, and it seems he has gotten considerably better over the course of the 2025 offseason. If Fautanu can prove he is the starting right tackle of the future for the Steelers, then the organization would have nailed three cornerstones of the franchise in just one draft. All contenders have solid offensive lines, and it looks like the Steelers might have one that could be great in the near future.
Cowboys' Stephen Jones stuns fans with strange comments on Micah Parsons negotiations
The Dallas Cowboys have put on the pads. The team began practicing with pads on Sunday, but to no surprise, there was an obvious omission in practice. Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons did not walk out of the locker room in Oxnard, California, with pads and a helmet on. Parsons is in the middle of a contract negotiation with Cowboys ownership, and team EVP Stephen Jones spoke about the negotiations with the media at Sunday's practice. In what sounded like a chip off the old block, Jones made a comment that will surely go viral regarding Parsons' potential new deal when asked about his thoughts on "Pay Micah" chants from fans during Saturday's practice. "It doesn’t change anything. We want to pay Micah too," Jones said. "He’s gotta want to be paid." The younger version of his father, Jerry, Stephen said that Parsons has to want to get paid if the two sides want to get a deal done this offseason. What in the world does that even mean? Is that ownership talk for hoping your best player takes a discount? There's no mistake; this is all on purpose by the Cowboys' front office. No other team in the league would want to drag along their best players like this every offseason, right? Well, the Cincinnati Bengals might, but don't let Jerry and Stephen get wind of someone holding out longer than them. The Joneses. Keeping the Cowboys in the headlines for all the wrong reasons for my entire life.
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