LOS ANGELES: Jalen Brunson scored 41 points and the New York Knicks held on for a 118-115 victory over Philadelphia on Thursday, clinching a 4-2 series win to book an NBA playoffs second-round clash with the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers powered into the Eastern Conference semifinals with a convincing 120-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that sealed their 4-2 series win.

It came down to the wire in Philadelphia, where Knicks forward Josh Hart, fed by Brunson, drilled a three-pointer to put New York up 114-111 with 25.6 seconds remaining.

Sixers star Joel Embiid cut the deficit to one with a driving layup seconds later but then fouled out and the Knicks polished it off with free throws from Donte DiVincenzo and Brunson.

Brunson said that after failing to close out the 76ers at home in game five, the Knicks knew they needed a faster start in this one.

They led by 22 points in the first quarter, only to see the 76ers claw back to lead by three at halftime and push their advantage to as many as 10 in the third quarter.

“Obviously they fought back and took the lead, but that good start helped us,” he said. “The way we kept fighting, that’s what we’ve been talking about all year — just making sure we keep fighting no matter what.

“No matter what the situation is, we’re going to stick together, we’re going to fight.”

Brunson added 12 assists, DiVincenzo scored 23 points with two steals and three blocked shots and OG Anunoby contributed 19 points.

Hart finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds and heard the cheers rain down from Knicks fans who made the trek to Philadelphia, despite the fact that the 76ers owners bought 2,500 tickets on the secondary market to try and limit the invasion of New York supporters that irked Embiid during Game 4.

Embiid, last season’s Most Valuable Player whose campaign was disrupted 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-extending victory, was held to 17.

The Knicks, through to the second round for the second straight season, will host the Pacers in Game 1 of their series on Monday.

Unable to close out the depleted Bucks on Tuesday, the Pacers got their uptempo offense flowing again, relentlessly pulling away after trailing by seven in the opening minutes in Indianapolis.

All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton delivered a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists, but it was reserve guard Obi Toppin leading the Pacers scoring with a career playoff high 21 points.

T.J. McConnell added 20 points off the bench along with nine assists and four steals as the Pacers reserves contributed a whopping 50 points.

“I’m so proud of the perseverance,” Haliburton said of Toppin and McConnell. “Obviously neither of them had a really good game last game — none of us did. We just responded the right way.”

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

Eight-time All-Star Damian Lillard returned from a two-game injury absence and led the Bucks with 28 points.

Lopez and Bobby Portis scored 20 points apiece, but with two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo still sidelined by the 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 straight season after falling to Miami last year.

The Pacers hadn’t won a playoff series since 2014, when they reached the Eastern Conference finals.

Things did not go quite according to plan when Ali Taleb last stepped inside the Smart Cage of the Professional Fighters League.

With a chance to advance to the bantamweight finale of the inaugural season of PFL Europe, Taleb fell short, losing via unanimous decision to eventual champion Khurshed Kakhorov.

The loss last year was the first blemish on Taleb’s 10-fight professional mixed-martial arts resume, but it also became a bit of a learning experience for the Iraqi-Swedish bantamweight.

“What I learned is not to be jittery, don’t chase the knockout all the time,” Taleb said in a recent interview on the Rondvilan Podcast.

“It was his turn, it was his time to win the million,” said Taleb.

The 26-year-old reigning UAE Warriors Bantamweight Champion added: “There’s still a lot for me to learn, honestly.”

Looking ahead, Taleb has his sights set on his PFL MENA debut in Riyadh on May 10. He will be facing a familiar opponent in Jordan’s Nawras Abzakh, whom he defeated in 2021.

“It’s the first time I’m going to rematch someone,” Taleb said. “It’s going to be good, I’m excited, man.”

Taleb will try to make history by becoming one of the first PFL MENA champions.

He said that Abzakh had asked to face him. “It’s a tournament, but he said ‘I want to fight him.’”

“He’s gonna get a taste,” Taleb continued. “Nothing can stop me now. I’m going to take his soul, and that’s that. This guy won’t stop me.”

He also revealed that he will be defending his UAE Warriors’ title.

“I’m allowed by the PFL to take a fight in UAE Warriors, so I think I’m going to defend my belt there,” Taleb said.

The PFL MENA: Riyadh tournament takes place on Friday May 10 at The Green Halls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All PFL MENA events will air live on MBC Action and SHAHID.