McConnell helps 76ers stay alive

PHILADELPHIA - The chants for "TJ! TJ!" grew louder each time TJ McConnell darted through the lane for an easy basket or buried a 3 to build an insurmountable lead for the 76ers on Monday night.

He wore a sheepish look as teammates rubbed his head on the bench in appreciation, the big moment for an undrafted guard who plugged a role in the early Process days and morphed into a surprise postseason savior.

McConnell turned an eye-popping start into the save of the season and Dario Saric scored 25 points to help Philadelphia stave off elimination with a 103-92 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal on Monday night.