Ingles the latest Australian to make it to NBA Playoffs second round
Utah Jazz three-point machine Joe Ingles has become the latest Australian to make it through the first round of the NBA playoffs, after the Jazz closed out the Western Conference first-round series.
No Utah player spent more time on the court than Ingles during the 96-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, contributing 12 points, five assists and seven rebounds.
The Australian is not known for lighting up the box score - despite breaking the franchise three-point record this season - but has recently been described by Jazz coach Quin Snyder as the type of player that makes the rest of the floor better in his presence.
Countryman Dante Exum took the court for just three minutes, recording no significant statistics.
The Jazz won the series four games to two. The fifth-seeded Jazz will face the top-seeded Houston Rockets in the second round, with the series starting on Sunday (Monday AEST).
Rookie star Donovan Mitchell scored 38 points in the Game 6 win and has now scored 171 series points - third most through six games by a rookie in NBA history. Lew Alcindor, who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, had 216 in 1970 and Wilt Chamberlain scored 199 in 1960.
Russell Westbrook made seven 3-pointers while recording 46 points and 10 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Thunder. It was Westbrook's seventh career postseason 40-point outing.
Carmelo Anthony (seven points on 3-of-7 shooting) and Paul George (five on 2-of-16 shooting) both had subpar outings.
Elsewhere Kyle Lowry scored 24 points, and Toronto got a big lift from their bench in a clinching 102-92 win over Washington Wizards in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series in Washington.
The Raptors, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, outscored the Wizards 29-14 in the fourth quarter. Toronto will face the winner of the series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.
That particular series will go to a seventh game after Indiana guard Victor Oladipo paced a potent Indiana attack with team highs of 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a 121-87 rout of Cleveland in Indianapolis to even the series at three games apiece.