Two years ago, Payton Pritchard was on the fringes of Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla's rotation.

But over the course of last season, when Boston won its 18th NBA title, and this year, when the Celtics are hoping to repeat for the first time since Bill Russell was in uniform, Pritchard has been a constant source of energy and production off the bench, a role that was recognized by the league's awards voters when they bestowed Pritchard with the league's Sixth Man of the Year honor.

"I feel like every year, you get a little bit better," Pritchard said earlier Tuesday, before being given the award Tuesday night. "So I hope that ... I've gotten better than I was last year. So if that means I'm stronger, more in shape, better basketball IQ.

"I've just been through it now, so I understand what it takes and what this team needs. I'm not saying it's going to be scoring every night, but just this level of physicality, picking up the ball. This intensity, that's what needs to be there every night."

That's the role Pritchard has filled admirably for the past couple of seasons with the Celtics, including averaging 14.3 points and shooting 40.7% from 3 across 80 games this season, with just three starts. Despite almost exclusively coming off the bench, he averaged more than 28 minutes per game, a sign of the importance Pritchard has for Boston on a nightly basis.

It's a role that has taken some adjusting to for the former Oregon college star, who at one point during his third season in the league -- when he played in only 48 games for the Celtics -- was ready to move on from Boston. Now, he has been honored as the league's best bench player, an honor that is named after Celtics legend John Havlicek, who made the role popular during his Hall of Fame career.

"I feel like that's probably another area of growth I've had, too," Pritchard said. "Mentally, like this whole year, (I've) been coming off the bench around the six-minute mark, and then you don't go in until the end of the first. You don't go into the game knowing when you're going to go in or anything, but as a player, young player, you might get frustrated. You might be like, 'Oh, I'm not playing as much tonight.'

"But instead, now maturing a little bit, once you get your opportunity, you just take full advantage of it and don't look back. Obviously, you're going to be a little cold. You do your jumps, run around, try to stay warm, but it's just being mentally prepared for your moment and never look back."

Pritchard finished with 82 out of the 100 available first-place votes, along with 13 second-place votes and five third-place selections. He was the only player to appear on every ballot.

"Payton is a baller -- and his teammates know what they are getting every single day in terms of effort, care, and commitment," Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. "For him to be honored with the award named after the great John Havlicek is a credit to all that he brings to the table for our team."

Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley, the only player in the top 20 in 3-point attempts this season to also shoot 40% or better, hitting 41.6% of his triples as part of Detroit's surprising season, was second, getting 13 first-place, 66 second-place and 16 third-place votes. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome -- who missed virtually all of last season for the Cavaliers due to injuries, had a stellar season for Cleveland off the bench, averaging 12.5 points per game while shooting 51.6% overall and 43.9% from 3-point range -- was third, landing two first-place, 12 second-place and 45 third-place votes.

The rest of the players to receive votes were Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter; Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid, who won the award last year; Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker; Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook; and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso.

Sixth Man is the first of the league's seven major individual awards to be handed out, and will be followed by the Clutch Player award Wednesday -- with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards as finalists -- and Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday, with Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green up for that honor.

The NBA also will announce the Hustle Award winner Friday, while the rest of the major honors -- Most Valuable Player, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year and the All-NBA, All-Defense and All-Rookie teams -- to be announced over the next few weeks.

ESPN's Baxter Holmes contributed to this report.

INDIANAPOLIS -- All-Star guard Damian Lillard wanted to give the Milwaukee Bucks a lift Tuesday night.

So he called coach Doc Rivers in the morning and told him he would return for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series after missing the past month because of a health scare. Rivers didn't argue, with his team down 1-0.

Lillard gave it everything he could in Indianapolis, finishing with 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting while playing 37 minutes in a 123-115 Game 2 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

"It felt pretty good, given the fact that I haven't played in so long," Lillard said. "Jumping back into a playoff game, I'd say it felt pretty good. I felt pretty solid."

Clearly, he wasn't himself after battling deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He practiced only three times since last playing March 18 and couldn't even do much cardio work to stay in game shape.

It showed.

While there were flashes of his pre-absence play, such as the 3-pointer he made with 2:31 left to get the Bucks within 115-113, his explosiveness was not there. And he appeared to wear down in the second half when he was 1-of-7 from the field and 1-of-6 on 3s.

"I got a little winded, but I think everyone got a little winded," Lillard said. "I wasn't really thinking about if I was tired, it was just like I'm out here and I've got to do what I got to do."

Just getting back on the court this quickly was a major victory for Lillard, though.

The blood-clotting disorder usually keeps players out months, not weeks, something Rivers feared may happen after learning the ailment was more serious than the initial diagnosis.

Lillard even opted to take a little extra time to get his body back in shape for the rigors of the postseason.

Still, Rivers and Lillard said they would both be monitoring his health during the game, and Rivers told reporters before the game he would pull Lillard out if he noticed fatigue. But when the Bucks needed a late push to get within striking distance of evening the series, Rivers thought it was better to keep his nine-time All-Star on the court.

That led to some late-game jawing between Lillard and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton as the Bucks lost for the fifth time in their past six postseason games against Indiana.

"Down the stretch I just kept him in. I used it sort of as conditioning," Rivers said. "He was exhausted and I saw that, and I thought, 'Just let him blow it because we've got two days to recover.' That's basically why I kept him in."

Game 3 is Friday in Milwaukee, and the Bucks certainly could use Lillard's help -- if he can be as effective as he was before being held out.

Lillard averaged 18.3 points, 9.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 35.5% overall and 38.9% from 3-point range in four regular-season games against Indiana this season. In last year's first-round series, he averaged 31.3 points against the Pacers, who won the series 4-2.

Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed all six of those games with a calf injury but scored 36 points and had 12 rebounds in Game 1 and followed that with 34 points, 18 rebounds and 7 assists. It was the first playoff game Antetokounmpo and Lillard played together.

Now comes what could prove the harder part -- protect their home court, clawing their way back into the series and avoiding a third straight first-round exit without knowing whether Lillard will be ready to play in Game 3.

"The biggest question for us is the recovery," Rivers said. "The trick is trying not to get him into that point of exhaustion because then it's hard to come back. So that's the trick we were doing tonight."

INDIANAPOLIS -- If the repeated verbal altercations and the assessment of double technical fouls in each of the first two games between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers did not fully convey how acrimonious things have become between the teams, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton made sure to leave no doubt.

"We don't have to sit here and act like it's any secret," Haliburton said after the Pacers took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series with a 123-115 victory over the Bucks on Tuesday. "We don't like them, they don't like us and that's just what it is. And I think they live for this, we live for this, so I could [not] care less. I'm out here just trying to help my team win a game."

The latest installment of Bucks-Pacers was just as unfriendly as many of the other recent games involving the teams. And things figure to remain heated as the Bucks return home desperate for a win.

Game 1 in this series was marked by an altercation involving Haliburton and Bucks star Damian Lillard -- who was on the bench for that game but returned to action for the first time in a month Tuesday. Game 2 produced another run-in between the All-Stars/Olympians. There was another tense moment when Milwaukee's Gary Trent Jr. and Indiana's Pascal Siakam wrestled over a loose ball with Siakam hitting the floor hard.

Of his run-ins with Lillard, Haliburton said, "Just competitors. He wants to win, I want to win. It's the highest level. We're in the highest level in the most contentious moment here in the playoffs."

Maybe this is what should be expected between teams that have seen so much of each other in the past two seasons. Including their meetings in the regular season, last season's NBA Cup semifinals and their six-game playoff series a year ago, the Pacers and Bucks have squared off 18 times since the start of the 2023-24 season. Among those games was a regular-season matchup in December 2023 that was followed by a tense postgame confrontation over Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo's attempt to recover a game ball from the Pacers to commemorate his 64-point performance that night.

Antetokounmpo acknowledged the strife between the teams but suggested his team had bigger problems given its 2-0 series deficit and the fact that Milwaukee has led for a combined three minutes in two games.

"I feel like there's a lot of animosity, a lot of back and forth," he said. "But I try to stay away from it. I try to stay away from it as much as I can and just focus on what I've got to do to help the team win. But, s---, if you poke me, I'm right there. I'm not backing down.

"I think a lot of people know that about me, but I really don't care about what people think or what [the Pacers] think or what we think. I really don't care. My mindset right now is Game 3. We know the f---ing deal man. I just know the deal. I know what I've got to do."

The Pacers seemed headed for a rout at times Tuesday, leading by as many as 16 points after blowing open Game 1 by as many as 28 points. But Milwaukee showed life in the final minutes, going on a 13-0 run to turn a 15-point Indiana lead with 5:43 remaining into a two-point game by the 2:33 mark. Lillard, who returned after being sidelined by a blood clot since March 18, hit a 3-pointer to make it a 115-113 game.

But the Pacers, who have shown mettle in close games this season, responded with a pair of 3s and ultimately closed it out.

Lillard surprisingly played 37 minutes despite his layoff, finishing with 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Antetokounmpo was dominant again, scoring 34 after his 36-point effort in Game 1. Bobby Portis added 28 for Milwaukee.

The Pacers produced a balanced scoring effort, with six players in double figures, led by Siakam with 24 points. Haliburton contributed 21 points and 12 assists.

As for what might be ahead in Game 3 and beyond, Haliburton said to expect more of the same intensity from both teams.

"I'm sure you're going to continue to see that through the course of the series," he said. "Everybody says the league rivalries aren't here anymore. Well, it's right here. So, this is an interesting series. We've played each other, it feels like, a million times over the last two years. I've seen every different coverage that they could throw at us. And I feel like those guys probably feel the same way about us. But there's still a lot of series, you've got a lot of games to play. So, I'm sure there'll be more heated moments, more competitive moments."

OKLAHOMA CITY -- For the first time all series, it felt like the Memphis Grizzlies might make it competitive after they trimmed the Oklahoma City Thunder's lead to single digits midway through the third quarter of Tuesday night's Game 2.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA's leading scorer, responded with buckets on the next two possessions, hitting a midrange jumper and then lofting a turnaround over 7-foot-4 Zach Edey's outstretched arm.

Memphis never managed to make a serious threat as the Thunder pulled away for a 118-99 win to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.

That sequence has been the exception for Gilgeous-Alexander in the series. The Thunder have cruised to a couple of wins despite a pair of off shooting performances by the likely league MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting 32.6% from the floor in the series after finishing with 27 points on 10-of-29 shooting Tuesday night.

"I feel like I'm getting looks I usually make and just missing them," said Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 32.7 points per game on 51.7% shooting during the regular season. "That's part of basketball. It's ups and downs, makes and misses. Because my team is really good, we've won two games by a decent margin. They've had my back these last two nights. Hopefully, I pick it up soon."

Oklahoma City, which broke the NBA record for the best point differential (plus-12.9 per game) this season, won the first two games of this series by a combined 70 points. According to ESPN Research, it's the second-highest point differential ever in the first two games of a playoff series, trailing only the 1986 Los Angeles Lakers beating the San Antonio Spurs by a combined 75 points in 1986.

The Thunder have dominated the Grizzlies with smothering defense -- they've allowed a speedy Memphis squad to score only eight fast-break points in two games -- and balanced offense.

Forward Jalen Williams (24 points) and power forward/center Chet Holmgren (20 points) starred offensively for the Thunder in Game 2. The Thunder had a 33-14 advantage in bench scoring, led by Alex Caruso's 13 points.

Oklahoma City had six scorers in double figures in Game 1, led by 10th man Aaron Wiggins' 21 points.

"It's nothing new," Gilgeous-Alexander said of Oklahoma City's outstanding depth. "We've seen it all year. It's why we have the record we have."

Gilgeous-Alexander contributed in other ways, as he has all season. He had 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

The Thunder have outscored the Grizzlies by 40 points with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor in the series.

"He does so much [more] through the complete course of the game than just scoring for our team, and I think that's showing up," Caruso said. "He might miss a couple shots that look routine that he might normally make. But if we're winning games how we're winning them and he's having average days, I think that bodes well for us forward."

CLEVELAND -- New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton took batting practice with teammates on Tuesday as he continues to recover from elbow issues.

Stanton took swings before the game at Progressive Field as the Yankees prepared for the middle game of their series against the Cleveland Guardians.

While Stanton has been working behind the scenes, this was the first time he has taken outdoor batting practice.

Following New York's 3-2 loss to Cleveland, manager Aaron Boone would not characterize the importance of Stanton's outdoor session.

"I don't know how significant because he's been doing a lot more than that (inside)," Boone said. "But certainly it's good to see him out there on the and in a (BP) group hitting. So I think all of us get a smile seeing that. But I don't know if it's a significant step because he's been doing a lot more than that."

Stanton has been dealing with tendinitis in both elbows, with the ailment known as "tennis elbow" shutting him down since spring training. The 35-year-old has said his elbows also bothered him last season and it's a matter of pain tolerance.

The team does not have a timetable for Stanton's return to their lineup. It's likely he'll have to go on a minor league rehab assignment before he's ready to play in major league games.

Stanton is in his eighth season with New York. Last season, he hit 27 homers and drove in 72 runs in 114 games, and in the postseason, he was among the club's top hitters. As the Yankees advanced to the World Series, he finished with 15 hits, including seven home runs, and 16 RBIs.

Stanton has 429 homers in 15 seasons with the Yankees and Miami Marlins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez was removed from his start Tuesday night in a 5-1 loss to the New York Mets because of left forearm soreness.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the team isn't "expecting structural damage" in Sanchez's arm, but the team will know more Wednesday if further testing is necessary.

Sanchez said he isn't concerned about his arm after being evaluated by a doctor.

"I did some movement exercises," Sanchez said in comments translated from Spanish. "The doctor checked me, all of that. That's why I'm confident there's nothing to worry about."

Sanchez explained he felt uncomfortable from the outset, during his pregame work in the bullpen, but he said he didn't believe it was an arm issue until after the second inning.

"The pitches weren't falling," Sanchez said. "The arm, everything was good, but the pitches weren't falling and moving like they always move."

Sanchez exited with the Phillies trailing 2-1 after laboring through his two innings. He threw 33 of his 58 pitches for strikes, and his velocity was a tick down from his usual output. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out two and throwing a wild pitch.

Thomson said he asked Sanchez if he felt fine following the second inning and decided to remove him from the game when he replied that his arm felt tight. Sanchez was replaced by right-hander Joe Ross to begin the third.

A critical member of Philadelphia's strong rotation, Sanchez, 28, entered Wednesday with a 2.96 ERA in four outings this season. He struck out a career-high 12 over seven innings in his previous start, a 6-4 win over San Francisco last Thursday.

Sanchez is signed to a $22.5 million, four-year contract through 2028 that includes club options for 2029 and 2030. He was an All-Star last season, when he finished 11-9 with a 3.32 ERA in 31 starts covering 181 innings, and was a trendy preseason pick to emerge as a National League Cy Young Award contender this season. He had never before reached 100 innings in a major league season.

ESPN's Jorge Castillo contributed to this report.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was pulled from his club's 8-5 win over the Athletics Tuesday night in the sixth inning due to right hamstring tightness.

Seager grounded out to end the top of the sixth inning and was lifted when the Rangers took the field for the bottom of the frame. He went 1-for-4 with two runs before leaving the contest. The veteran is batting .286 with four home runs and six RBIs through 21 games this season.

Meanwhile, Athletics reliever Jose Leclerc also left the game after seven pitches with right shoulder soreness. Leclerc, a 31-year-old right-hander who signed a $10 million, one-year contract as a free agent in January, struck out Adolis Garcia leading off the seventh inning and had a 3-1 count on Marcus Semien when he summoned catcher Shea Langeliers to the mound.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Leclerc would undergo testing Wednesday.

"I think more of a strain than just soreness," he said. "Obviously, he was in a little bit of pain coming off that mound. That's just, that's unfortunate for us."

Leclerc had Tommy John surgery in 2021. He is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in 10 appearances for the A's after going 12-20 with a 3.27 ERA in 347 relief appearances and three starts for the Rangers from 2016-24.

Information from Field Level Media and the Associated Press was used in this story.

CHICAGO -- Catcher Miguel Amaya was confident he'd be jogging around the bases when he blasted a two-out, ninth-inning baseball high into the Wrigley Field sky with his Chicago Cubs trailing 10-9 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

He was right -- but just barely.

Amaya's 388-foot shot landed in the center field basket, sending the home crowd into a frenzy as Dodgers closer Tanner Scott blew the save. And one inning later, the Cubs won the game 11-10 on an Ian Happ run-scoring single off Noah Davis, capping yet another wild affair at Wrigley.

According to Statcast, Amaya's blast would have been a home run in exactly one park in the majors.

"As a baseball player, its something you dream of," Amaya said. "As soon as I hit, I felt it was out but then I saw the center fielder getting into position to catch it. Then it was, 'Oh my god, I have to run,' but it was enough to get out.

"I love those basket balls."

It was the second time in five days that both teams playing at Wrigley scored 10 or more runs; on Friday, the Cubs beat the Diamondbacks 13-11 thanks to a six-run eighth inning that was preceded by a 10-run frame by Arizona.

On Tuesday, the Cubs led 5-3 after the first inning, but the Dodgers took a 10-7 lead thanks to a five-run seventh aided by an error from third baseman Gage Workman. As has been the case all month, the Cubs kept fighting back. Right fielder Kyle Tucker brought them within one with an eighth-inning home run before Amaya tied it in the ninth.

"They've done some amazing things and some resilient things, most importantly," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of the team's play on its homestand. "You win games like that early in the season and it's a great carry forward for the rest of the season."

The Cubs improved to 15-10 thanks to a high-powered offense that leads the league in scoring at just over six runs per game. They've tallied 10 or more runs in seven games already, their most through 25 games of a season since 1895, according to ESPN Research. No other team this season has done it more than 3 times.

Counsell credited his bullpen in shutting down the Dodgers in the final few innings.

The Cubs also did well facing Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. He went 0 for 4, lowering his batting average against them this year to .167. Against all other teams, he's hitting .302.

He also went 0-for-3 against Shota Imanaga and is now 0-for-10 against the Cubs starter.

"The next 10 at-bats he might get 10 hits," Imanaga said. "It's been a small miracle that it's happened 10 times in a row."

The Cubs keep on performing miracles at the plate both in the colder conditions this month and in the few games where the weather has been favorable for hitters. That included Tuesday, when it was 71 degrees with the wind blowing out at first pitch. It led to six home runs, none bigger than Amaya's.

"Basket hurt us a couple times last year," Counsell said with a smirk. "It was helpful tonight."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Bay FC will play the Washington Spirit in a National Women's Soccer League match at Oracle Park, home of baseball's San Francisco Giants.

Bay FC hopes the Aug. 23 match will attract an NWSL record of 40,000-plus fans to the ballpark on the San Francisco Bay.

"We're eager for the opportunity to create league history alongside the Washington Spirit by being the first professional women's teams to play at Oracle Park and thankful to the San Francisco Giants for their support of our ambitions," Bay CEO Brady Stewart said in a statement Tuesday.

"Playing a match in San Francisco allows us to connect with our fans from around the Bay Area in an incredible setting."

Bay FC plays its home matches at PayPal Park in San Jose. The team played last year against the Chicago Stars at Wrigley Field, which drew a league-record 35,038 fans.

"Oracle Park has long been home to iconic events across sports and entertainment, and we're proud to host our first-ever women's professional soccer match this summer.

"The match represents a milestone not only for the ballpark, but for the entire Bay Area community," said Stephen Revetria, president of Giants Enterprises.

The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.