PACERS 117, BUCKS 98

Pascal Siakam finished with 25 points and seven rebounds and Tyrese Haliburton added 10 points and 12 assists to lead Indiana past Milwaukee for a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven firstround series.

Indiana led by as much as 28 and fended off a charge that got the Bucks within 12 midway through the third quarter by holding the Bucks to only three points over the final 5:24.

Myles Turner’s 3-pointer with 1:59 sealed the win. Turner had 19 points and four blocks.

Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points and 12 rebounds but the Pacers held him to just one assist in a rematch of last year’s opening round series, which Indiana won 4-2. Antetokounmpo missed all six of those games with a calf injury.

Bucks guard Damian Lillard sat out as he continues to recover from deep vein thrombosis in his calf.

KNICKS 123, PISTONS 112

Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, Cam Payne had 11 of his 14 in the fourth quarter and New Yok stunned Detroit with a 21-0 run in the final period to rally for a victory in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 11 rebounds in his first playoff game with the Knicks and OG Anunoby also scored 23 points for the No. 3-seeded Knicks. They will host Game 2 on Monday night.

The Pistons held up well for more than three quarters of their first playoff game since 2019 and had a 98-90 lead, a little more than nine minutes from ending their NBA-record, 14-game postseason losing streak. By the time they scored again, the Knicks were ahead by 13 points.

TIMBERWOLVES 117, LAKERS 95

Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points, Naz Reid added 23 with six 3-pointers, and Minnesota overcame Luka Doncic’s 37-point Lakers playoff debut for a victory over Los Angeles.

Anthony Edwards had 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the firstround series opener for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who weathered Doncic’s 16-point first quarter in front of a roaring LA crowd.

Minnesota then took control with a 38-20 second quarter and poured it on after halftime. Julius Randle and Edwards hit four 3-pointers apiece as the Timberwolves made a franchise playoff-record 21 3-pointers on 42 attempts — with many of those shots taken without a defender in sight.

LeBron James had 19 points to begin his 18th NBA postseason, but the third-seeded Lakers were overwhelmed by the Wolves’ shot-making and playoff poise.