LOS ANGELES — A wildly unpredictable Eastern Conference semifinal series will conclude the only way that seems fitting today night when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Toronto Raptors for a decisive Game 7.

Each team has taken turns being dominant or inept, depending on one’s perspective, with the latest twist coming in Game 6 Thursday when the 76ers completely controlled the game after being humiliated in Game 5 at Toronto.

The winner meets the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals. If Game 7 experience means something, then the edge goes to the Raptors, whose players have a combined 21 games of experience in a Game 7 compared to nine combined games by 76ers’ players.

“It’s not unlike where we have been a couple of times already in this series,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse told reporters. “They are critical games. They are all critical. We’ve got to play with great physicality, great speed, connected on the defensive end. I think we have to play one of our best defensive games of the year and play with some gusto on offense.”

Sixers coach Brett Brown said a Game 7 provides a different experience. “They’re very unique,” he said. “They’re special, they’re a life-lesson opportunity.”

The first six games of the series have been won by the team with the higher field-goal shooting percentage. Game 1, thoroughly dominated by the Raptors, was the only one won by the team that had the inferior shooting percentage from 3-point range while still having the better overall field-goal percentage.

The Raptors have leaned heavily on Kawhi Leonard and the supporting cast has not always backed him up.

“We win the last game, that’s all that matters,” Leonard said. “We lost some games playing their way, so it doesn’t matter. I’m going to try to win.”

The shooting has varied widely from game to game. Toronto shot 40% (16-for-40) from 3-point range in Game 5 when Leonard received strong support from his teammates in a 125-89 win. Toronto shot 48.8% overall in that game, while the Sixers shot 25% (six-for-24) on 3-pointers and 41.8% overall.

In Game 6, however, the Raptors shot 25% (nine-for-36) from 3-point range with Leonard 0-for-four, Marc Gasol 0-for-three, Serge Ibaka 0-for-3 and Danny Green two-for-eight.

Meanwhile, the Sixers made 35.7% (10-for-28) of their 3-point attempts and had a 46.1% to 43.2% advantage in field-goal shooting.

“I feel like we messed up sometimes on transition and defense,” said Leonard, who had 29 points and 12 rebounds Thursday. “We didn’t knock down open shots early, you know, and they played well. They came with pace and knocked down their open shots early on, and we tried to dig ourselves out of the hole.”

With enigmatic Joel Embiid battling illness and inconsistency and Ben Simmons not producing until Game 6, Jimmy Butler has been the main force for the Sixers.

Butler led the Sixers with 25 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals on Thursday.

Simmons had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists and committed no turnovers on Thursday.

Embiid also was a big factor in Game 6 after playing so poorly in the previous game. He had 17 points and 12 rebounds with two blocked shots and was a presence beyond those numbers.

“He’s got an incredible defensive impact on a game,” Brown said. “Pick ‘em, Kawhi, Kyle Lowry, whatever — if you see (Embiid) you’re probably going to think a little bit more about what you want to do, what’s your plan?

“His importance to our team is obvious. (Thursday) you saw a healthier Joel Embiid and for that example, situation, him and his health, he comes out and has a plus-40. It’s a huge number. It’s a huge plus-minus number in a playoff game. His significance is felt all over the place.” — Reuters

LOS ANGELES — Paul Millsap is the sage veteran among the youthful Denver Nuggets, but even he had to admit he was sick of seeing the Portland Trail Blazers.

And that was after five games of this seven-game Western Conference semifinal series that is tied at 3-3. The sentiment hasn’t changed heading into Sunday’s Game 7 in Denver.

The winner will advance to the conference finals to play the two-time reigning champion Golden State Warriors. Game 1 of that series will be Tuesday night in Oakland, Calif.

The fatigue of Denver and Portland playing each other 10 times in the regular season and playoffs came to a head in the Trail Blazers’ 119-108 win on Thursday. Things got chippy midway through the fourth quarter when Portland center Zach Collins fell at the feet of Nuggets guard Will Barton.

Blazers guard Seth Curry pushed Barton away from Collins and Barton responded by putting a finger in Curry’s face. — Reuters

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a deal with Frank Vogel to become their next head coach, ESPN reported Saturday.

Vogel will have a three-year contract, and his staff will feature Jason Kidd in a prominent role as an assistant, according to ESPN.

The Lakers were forced to reset their coaching search after Tyronn Lue turned down the opportunity to be Luke Walton’s replacement. Lue reportedly had the chance to run the team but considered the Lakers’ three-year, $18 million offer a snub after discussing a five-year contract.

Vogel, 45, was head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 2010-16. He also coached the Orlando Magic from 2016-18, and has a career record of 304-291. The Pacers made five playoff appearances during his tenure.

Vogel reportedly made a strong impression during a meeting with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka on Thursday and was on the short list to replace Derek Fisher in Los Angeles in 2016 before the job went to Walton. — Reuters

THE Go For Gold Developmental Cycling Team got tested in a series of punishing mountainous terrains and gallantly passed the grade in a challenging four-day bikathon in Vietnam.

Ismael Grospe Jr. was named King of the Mountain in the prestigious Dien Bien Phu 2019 international race while fellow Go For Gold riders Daniel Ven Carino and Ean Cajucom nearly hit the target in the sprint classification.

Jericho Jay Lucero then put the finishing touches to an impressive campaign against an elite field of riders by placing second in the torturous final stage behind Vietnamese climber Huynh Thanh Tung.

After making it to the top 10 of the general classification, the 20-year-old Grospe also duplicated his feat as Ronda Pilipinas best young rider by winning the same award in Vietnam.

Marc Ryan Lago, another promising cyclist who also rides for the national team, checked in third overall in the best young rider race followed by Lucero at fourth and Cajucom at seventh, their combined efforts with Grospe helping the team finish fifth overall out of 12 teams.