Gabe Vincent scored 23 points and helped spark a fourth-quarter rally that propelled the Miami Heat to a 111-108 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, evening the championship series at 1-1.

The Heat overcame an eight-point deficit to start the fourth quarter to snap the Nuggets' seven-game winning streak and send the series to Miami all tied. Game 3 will take place Wednesday.

Denver also was handed its first loss in 10 home games during this postseason despite another big effort from two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, who poured in 41 points on 16-of-28 shooting along with 11 rebounds. 

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each contributed 21 points for the Heat, while Duncan Robinson scored all 10 of his points during a pivotal 15-2 run to open the fourth quarter that sent Miami ahead to stay.

Jokic scored the final six points of the third quarter to give the Nuggets an 83-75 lead that turned out to be short-lived. Robinson had the first eight points of Miami's momentum-shifting surge, and Vincent later added a 3-pointer before hitting two free throws that put the Heat up 90-85 with nine minutes remaining.

Miami held a 107-95 advantage after Caleb Martin's 3-pointer with 3:39 left to play, but the Nuggets responded with a late charge to put the outcome back in doubt.

Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray hit 3-pointers to ignite an 11-2 run Murray capped with another triple that pulled Denver within 109-106 entering the final minute.

After Jokic countered two Butler free throws with a short turnaround jumper with 35.6 seconds left, Butler missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to give the Nuggets a chance to tie.

Murray misfired on a step-back 3-point try with 1.9 seconds left, however, and Martin grabbed the rebound as time expired.

Denver, which led by as many as 15 points in the first half, had been 11-0 this postseason when holding a double-digit lead.

The Denver Nuggets cruised to an 11-point win over a lacklustre Miami Heat in the first game of the NBA finals.

Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic was pivotal in the 104-93 victory, picking up a seamless triple-double in his finals debut.

Miami had no defensive answers for the 28-year-old Serbian, who orchestrated Denver’s offence before finishing with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.

Outside of the first few minutes, Denver never looked like losing – much to the appreciation of a raucous home crowd.

Bam Adebayo had a strong showing for the Heat as he picked up a team-high 26 points, but he had little help from an inconsistent offence.

On the other hand, Jokic was ably assisted by a 26-point effort from Jamal Murray, while fellow starters Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr added 16 and 14 points respectively.

The seven-game series is Denver’s first trip back to the finals in 47 years, while Miami are on the hunt for their fourth championship.

The Denver Nuggets didn’t show much rust despite a lengthy layoff and Nikola Jokic stepped up down the stretch in his NBA Finals debut, helping his team hold off the Miami Heat for a 104-93 victory in Game 1 on Thursday.

Jokic scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter – including eight in the final four minutes after the Heat stormed back to cut a 24-point deficit to just nine points.

The two-time league MVP also assisted on 14 baskets and grabbed 10 rebounds to notch his ninth triple-double of this year’s playoffs.

Jokic had plenty of help with Jamal Murray finishing with 26 points and 10 assists, Aaron Gordon adding 16 points and six rebounds and Michael Porter Jr. chipping in 14 points and 12 boards for a Nuggets team that improved to 9-0 at home in the playoffs.

 The Heat were led by Bam Adebayo’s 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Gabe Vincent scored 19 and Haywood Highsmith had 18 points off the bench.

Jimmy Butler, the MVP of the Eastern Conference finals, had 13 points – his fewest of the playoffs – along with seven rebounds and seven assists.

With nine days off between games after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals, there was concern that the Nuggets would be a bit rusty, but that wasn’t the case.

Playing in its first Finals in the franchise's 47-year history, Denver came out firing on all cylinders early in front of a raucous crowd, shooting 59.5 per cent in the opening two quarters to jump out to a 59-42 half-time lead.

The Nuggets pulled away in the third quarter to build an 84-60 advantage but the battle-tested Heat responded.

Highsmith scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and his 3 with 2 ½ minutes to play pulled the Heat within nine points, but that is as close as they would get.

Game 2 will be Sunday in Denver, and it’s possible Tyler Herro will be cleared to play.

Herro has been sidelined since fracturing his right hand in Miami’s playoff opener on April 16, and has been increasing his basketball activities in the last week.

Nikola Jokic remains "worried" about the Denver Nuggets' chances of reaching the NBA Finals despite Saturday's Game 3 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, warning LeBron James is "capable of everything".

Jokic combined with Jamal Murray to guide the top-seeded Nuggets to a 119-108 win at Crypto.com Arena, giving them a 3-0 series lead and putting them on the brink of a first NBA Finals appearance.

The two-time NBA MVP added 24 points to Murray's game-high 37, leaving Denver heavily fancied to advance ahead of another road game on Monday.

However, Jokic is unwilling to start the celebrations early, saying: "To be honest, I'm not going to say that I'm scared, but I'm worried.

"Because they have LeBron on the other side, and he is capable of doing everything. 

"We're going to come here with the same mindset, same focus, and I think that's going to put us in a situation to win a game.

"We never know. They're going to be aggressive. Of course, they're going to be extra physical. 

"They're going to run more, everything is going to be on a different level, more of anything. So, we will see."

Murray echoed his team-mate's cautious tone, stressing the importance of the Nuggets remaining grounded. 

"We're just keeping everybody in the moment, not letting it slip away," Murray said.

"You need 16 wins to win a championship and we've got five more to go and the Lakers are in our way, and they are going to do everything in their power to come back and fight."

James finished Game 3 with 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds but missed with 11 of his 19 shots, including four of six in the fourth quarter.

Despite the Lakers' season hanging by a thread, the four-time NBA champion is refusing to give up hope.

"We've got to get one, just get one at a time," James said. "Just focus on Game 4, that's all you can think about. 

"Obviously, this game is over with. We had some opportunities and we didn't come through. It's a one-game series for us."

Jamal Murray dominated the first half and Nikola Jokic came alive in the fourth quarter as the Denver Nuggets moved within one win of a sweep with a 119-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

Murray scored 30 of his 37 points in the first half and Jokic shook off a slow start with 15 of his 24 in the fourth quarter to give Denver a 3-0 lead in the series.

The top-seeded Nuggets can complete the sweep in Game 4 on Monday and secure the franchise's first-ever NBA Finals appearance.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 17 points, Bruce Brown had 15 and Michael Porter Jr. tallied 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets, who trailed by one before outscoring the Lakers 26-14 over the final 7 1/2 minutes.

Anthony Davis had 28 points and 18 rebounds and LeBron James and Austin Reaves each added 23 points, but it wasn't enough to prevent Los Angeles from its first three-game losing streak since early February.

The Lakers, who had a nine-game home win streak snapped, are faced with trying to become the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-0 playoff series deficit.

Jeff Green, Brown and Murray hit consecutive 3-pointers as part of a 13-0 run by the Nuggets that turned a 94-93 deficit into a 106-94 lead with less than five minutes remaining.

The Lakers responded with the next four points, but Jokic sank two free throws and hit a 3-pointer and Murray made a layup to push the advantage to 113-101 with 2:47 to go.

James made three 3-pointers after starting the series 0 for 13 from long range.

Jamal Murray and Michael Malone wanted to make sure people would be talking about the Denver Nuggets after Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

They achieved just that as the Nuggets moved 2-0 ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 108-103 win, led by Murray's 37 points.

Murray scored 23 points in a huge fourth quarter that Denver had started three points behind. The Canadian also recorded 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Nikola Jokic impressed again, registering his fifth triple-double in the space of six games with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists.

It was clear after Thursday's game that the Nuggets had been frustrated to see much of the coverage of their 132-126 win in Game 1 discussing the positives of the Lakers' performance.

Now, Denver are two wins away from a first NBA Finals appearance.

"You win Game 1 and all everybody talked about was the Lakers," said Malone, per ESPN.

"Let's be honest, the national narrative was, 'Hey, the Lakers are fine. They're down 1-0, but they figured something out'.

"No one talked about how Nikola just had an historic performance. He's got 13 playoff triple-doubles now, third all-time. What he's doing is just incredible on a nightly basis on the biggest stage in the world.

"But their narrative wasn't about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn't about Nikola. The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments. 

"So you know, you put that in your pipe and you smoke it, you come back and you know what, we're gonna go up 2-0."

Murray added: "We're the Denver Nuggets; we're used to that.

"Even when we win, they talk about the other team. We beat the Clippers in the bubble, they talk about the other team. 

"Same old, same old. It fuels us a little more and will be sweeter when we win the chip."

Murray, who is still battling an ear infection, had only made five of his first 17 shots before his decisive late surge.

"It would have been a lot easier if I had made them in the first half!" he said.

"Playing in the Western Conference finals against the Lakers and LeBron James, it's an amazing opportunity, and it's something you're going to look back in history and remember for the rest of your life."

James and Austin Reaves both scored 22 points for the Lakers, while Rui Hachimura added 21 off the bench.

Anthony Davis had 18 points and 14 rebounds but was held to a 4-of-15 shooting performance after scoring 40 points in Game 1.

Murray lifted Denver to a crucial 15-1 run that put them 96-84 ahead with just over five minutes left. He scored four of his six three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

"I love Jamal Murray," added Malone. "This is not just like I'm coaching him. We've been together seven years and been through a lot of ups and downs.

"To see him back playing at the level he's playing at, the first thought for me is just tremendous pride and just so happy for him. Because I saw the dark days coming back from that ACL injury.

"He needs to continue to do that. Obviously our goal is not done. We have to win this series. Our goal is to win a championship, and he's going to be a big part of that."

Jokic said about Murray: "He was special and he won us the game. He played 42 minutes, his energy was amazing. 

"Yes, maybe in the first half, he struggled to make shots. But when it mattered the most, he made shots and won us the game basically."

Game 3 takes place on Saturday in Los Angeles, with the Lakers unbeaten at home so far in the playoffs.

Jamal Murray scored 23 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter in a stellar performance as the Denver Nuggets held on for a 108-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Thursday's win saw the Nuggets take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Nikola Jokic notched his fourth straight triple-double and seventh of these playoffs with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists to improve Denver to 8-0 at home this postseason. The Nuggets are two wins away from the franchise's first-ever NBA Finals appearance.

Murray missed 12 of his 17 shots through three quarters but was 6 of 7 in the fourth, including four 3-pointers and fuelled a 15-1 run to put the top-seeded Nuggets ahead for good.

His fourth-quarter explosion began with a short jumper with 9:59 remaining to forge an 81-81 tie.

He then sank consecutive 3-pointers and hit another after Bruce Brown connected from deep to put Denver up 93-84. Michael Porter Jr.'s three preceded another three from Murray that made it 99-87.

The Lakers scored the next five points to close the gap, but Murray answered with another basket. Austin Reaves ended a run of 11 straight missed threes by Los Angeles to close the deficit to 101-99, only to see Murray sink five free throws in the final 25 seconds.

Brown stole the ball from LeBron James with eight seconds left to seal Denver's victory.

Murray's 23-point quarter was one less point than the entire Lakers team.

James was just shy of a triple-double with 22 points, 10 boards and nine assists but missed all six of his 3-point attempts. Austin Reaves added 22 points with five threes and Rui Hachimura contributed 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting for Los Angeles, which misfired on 22 of 30 from beyond the arc.

Game 3 is Saturday night in Los Angeles, where the Lakers have won eight straight.

Nikola Jokic has an uncanny ability to make basketball look simple yet miraculous, according to his Denver Nuggets teammate Aaron Gordon.

Jokic starred for the Nuggets as Denver held off a spirited comeback from LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday.

The Nuggets prevailed 132-126 to take the series lead, with Jokic registering 34 points, 21 rebounds, 14 assists - his third straight triple-double in the playoffs this season.

"He makes it [look] really simple," Nuggets forward Gordon said of his team-mate.

"[But also] he makes it look miraculous at the same time. It's ridiculous."

For fellow Nugget and former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who played with James during his stint in Los Angeles, there is not much to pick between Jokic and the NBA's record points scorer.

"I feel like the only difference is 'Bron can jump higher than Jokic," said Caldwell-Pope said.

"That's about the only difference that I can see. I just love playing with Jokic, willing passer, dominant big man down there.

"Just seeing him do what he does, gets everybody else going."

Denver coach Michael Malone added: "I thought when he felt there was one-on-one coverage, facing up and getting to the basket, [Jokic] used that understated athleticism to finish in traffic. That was great to see."

Jokic enjoyed a tussle with Anthony Davis, and sank a 28-foot 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter that even left his opponent smiling.

"Oh, sometimes luck is on our side," Jokic quipped.

"It's a crazy shot, of course. It's not something that I work on, but I'm glad it went in."

Matters did not go entirely Denver's way, with the Lakers forging a comeback and pulling within three twice in the fourth quarter, once on Austin Reaves' 3-pointer at 124-121 with 3:23 remaining and again on James' two free throws that made it 129-126 with 72 seconds to play.

"We'll be better," said James.

"We know we didn't play up to our capabilities in the first half, but you know we'll be better in Game 2, that's for sure."

Nikola Jokic notched another triple-double with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists but the Denver Nuggets barely held off the visiting Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Jokic had his third straight triple-double and sixth of these playoffs, while Jamal Murray added 31 points for the Nuggets, who led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter before the Lakers stormed back, with Denver ultimately holding on for a 132-126 win.

Los Angeles pulled within three twice in the fourth quarter, once on Austin Reaves' 3-pointer at 124-121 with 3:23 remaining and again on LeBron James' two free throws that made it 129-126 with 72 seconds to play.

After sinking two from the line and seeing Murray make a huge steal on James with 18 seconds left, Jokic sank another free throw, effectively ending the Lakers' comeback.

Anthony Davis had 40 points and 10 rebounds, James fell just shy of a triple-double with 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists and Reaves keyed the late charge with 11 of his 23 points coming in the final quarter.

Jokic became the first player since at least 1997 to have a dozen or more boards and at least five assists in any quarter of an NBA playoff game.

Game 2 takes place on Thursday in Denver, where the top-seeded Nuggets are 7-0 in the playoffs.

Nikola Jokic scored 17 of his 29 points during the decisive third quarter and the Denver Nuggets gained the upper hand in their Western Conference semifinal series with a 118-102 rout of the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

Jokic followed his 53-point performance in Game 4 with another stellar display, adding 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his 10th career playoff triple-double, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for most by a center in NBA history.

Bruce Brown scored 25 points, one shy of his playoff career high, and Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray added 19 apiece as Denver improved to 6-0 at home this postseason for a 3-2 series lead.

The Nuggets turned a 52-49 halftime lead into a 91-74 advantage with a dominant third quarter in which Jokic made seven of eight shots, while Devin Booker scored three points on 1 of 8 from the field.

Booker finished with 28 points but missed 11 of 19 shots, Kevin Durant had 26 points and Deandre Ayton added 14. No other Suns player reached double figures.

Denver can earn a trip to the west finals with a win at Phoenix on Thursday in Game 6.

Visiting 76ers cruise past Celtics

Joel Embiid scored 32 points and Tyrese Maxey added 30 with six 3-pointers to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a surprisingly easy 115-103 victory over the Boston Celtics and a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Philadelphia led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter as the home fans showered the Celtics with boos.

James Harden had 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, Tobias Harris chipped in 16 points and 11 boards and little-used Danuel House Jr. contributed 10 points and five rebounds.

The 76ers can close out the series and advance to the East finals for the first time since reaching the NBA Finals in 2000-01 with a win at home in Game 6 on Thursday.

Jayson Tatum had 36 points but missed all five of his first-quarter attempts and made 11 for 27 from the field. He was part of a poor shooting effort by the Celtics, who shot under 40 percent overall and misfired on 26 of 38 from long range.

Boston cut the deficit to 92-81 with under 10 minutes remaining but Maxey and Embiid responded with consecutive 3s. After Jaylen Brown hit a layup, baskets by House Jr. and Maxey stretched Philadelphia's advantage to 104-88, effectively ending any hopes of a comeback.

Nikola Jokic will be available for Game 5 of the Denver Nuggets’ Western Conference semi-final series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in Denver.

Jokic reportedly has been fined $25,000, but the NBA decided on Monday they would not suspend the superstar centre for his involvement in a scuffle with Suns owner Mat Ishbia on Sunday that resulted in a technical foul for the two-time league MVP.

There was speculation that Jokic could be suspended for an incident that occurred with less than 3 minutes to go in the second quarter in the Suns’ 129-124 win to even the series at 2-2.

The play began when Jokic blocked a Deandre Ayton shot sending the ball heading out of bounds by the baseline.

The ball ended up in the arm of Ishbia, who cradled it under his arm as Jokic attempted to grab it back.

Ishbia did not immediately return the ball and it flipped a few rows back as Jokic tried to pull it from his arm.

As Jokic then reached for the ball he raised his elbow up to Ishbia’s chest and made contact.

Ishbia then fell down into his seat with his arms raised.

The refs then huddled to discuss what transpired, and decided Jokic’s actions were worthy of a technical foul.

That decision, however, sparked significant debate as to whether Ishbia flopped or if the Denver big man used excessive force.

Kevin Durant ended up making the technical free throw to tie the score at 55.

Jokic defended his actions after the game in which he finished with a career-high 53 points on 20-of-30 shooting, along with 11 assists.

Earlier Monday, Ishbia showed no ill-will toward Jokic, tweeting out that he was hopeful the league wouldn’t punish him.

“Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!” Ishbia posted. “That should be and is the only story. Suspending of fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right. I have a lot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!”

The home team has won every game in this series, and the Nuggets are 5-0 in Denver this postseason.

Jokic has been outstanding in this series, averaging 36.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists in the four games.

Two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has "zero interest" in the hype surrounding this year's award.

Jokic is a leading candidate for the 2022-23 MVP award, alongside Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, a day after Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to a 97-87 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Jokic delivered a performance worthy of an MVP, scoring 39 points and adding 16 rebounds to help Denver take a 2-0 series lead.

But the 28-year-old Serbian is not paying much credence to the speculation over who will claim the prize.

"I don't really think about it. Like zero interest," said Jokic, who is hoping to spend Tuesday recovering.

"Hopefully, it's going to be a sunny day, so I can be in the swimming pool," he quipped.

Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell are the only other players to have been named an MVP for three seasons running.

"I mean, I cannot think about that, because I cannot control it," Jokic said.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone knows that Jokic is not motivated by individual success.

"I marvel at his greatness, I marvel at his consistency, his excellence, his ability to find so many different ways to beat you, whether it's scoring, rebounding, playmaking, not afraid of the moment," Malone said of Jokic.

"There's so many quality [MVP] candidates, and it'll be a really close race.

"But I know what motivates Nikola Jokic, what motivates myself and the rest of the guys in that locker room, is not the MVP.

"It's our journey to try and win the first championship in franchise history."

After two home wins for the Nuggets, Game 3 in Phoenix takes place on Friday.

Anthony Edwards channelled his inner-Michael Jordan after admitting he "took it personally" as he made sure the Minnesota Timberwolves did not go down 4-0 to the Denver Nuggets.

Having lost the first three encounters in their Western Conference first-round playoff series, the Timberwolves had one last chance to get on the board, and needed overtime to do it.

Edwards top-scored for his team with 34 at Target Center, though the hosts almost blew it after throwing away a 12-point lead in regulation.

Minnesota were able to get the job done eventually though, winning 114-108 to take the series to Game 5 in Denver, and Edwards made his motivation clear.

"I don't ever want to say I got swept in my career," he said. "So I definitely took it personally tonight."

Despite comfortably being his team's top scorer on Sunday, Edwards was in the mood for modesty after the game, focusing more on the shots he missed.

"I played terrible if you ask me," he said. "I took three bad threes, three terrible possessions, and I damn near shot us out the game. I didn't play that good tonight."

After his team's win, Wolves coach Chris Finch wanted his team to take confidence from the victory

"I think we gotta continue to get into something," Finch said. "I think that's part of the problem is we get down [on ourselves] or we're trying to close out the game too early."

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic scored 43 points with 11 rebounds and six assists, but he and his team still have work to do to finish Minnesota off.

"The hardest thing to stomach about this game is that we were unwilling and unable to get necessary stops," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

Game 5 takes place at Ball Arena on Tuesday.

The Golden State Warriors almost blew a five-point lead in the final minute as Harrison Barnes missed a buzzer-beater as the reigning champions levelled their first round series with the Sacramento Kings after a 126-125 Game 4 win on Sunday.

The Warriors led 126-121 heading into the final 60 seconds but gifted the Kings an avenue back in after Stephen Curry called for a timeout when they had none left at Chase Center.

Malik Monk scored the subsequent free-throw before De'Aaron Fox's three-pointer cut the margin to one point.

Curry then missed a pullup shot with 14 seconds left but the Kings could not capitalise with the final possession after a timeout, when a double-teamed Fox found Barnes open before his attempt rimmed out.

Reigning NBA Finals MVP Curry finished with 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting with five-of-11 from beyond the arc, along with five rebounds and four assists.

Klay Thompson had 26 points with four three-pointers and Jordan Poole added 22 points, while Draymond Green returned from a one-game ban off the bench with a strong display, holding the Kings to five-of-15 as primary defender.

Clutch Player of the Year Fox did everything but hit the final shot, scoring 38 points on 14-of-31 shooting with four three-pointers.

Keegan Murray added 23 points with five-of-seven three-point shooting and Domantas Sabonis was down on his usual output with 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

The Warriors squared the series up at 2-2 ahead of Game 5 in Sacramento on Wednesday. Golden State are 35-8 at home across the regular and postseason but are 11-32 on the road.

Tatum and Brown led Celtics triumph

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 31 points each as the Boston Celtics pulled 3-1 clear in their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks with a 129-121 road win.

The Celtics led nearly the entire game, holding off a 68-point Hawks' second half, with Tatum and Brown combining for Boston's final 16 points to round out the win.

Tatum's 31 points came on eight-of-20 shooting from the field including four-of-13 three-pointers, with seven rebounds and three blocks. Brown scored 12-of-22 from the field with three triples.

Trae Young had a strong game for Atlanta with 35 points and 15 assists, while De'Andre Hunter added 27 points and Dejounte Murray scored 23 with nine rebounds.

Knicks pull clear, Timberwolves avoid sweep in OT

The New York Knicks took a 3-1 lead in their first round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers after Jalen Brunson scored 29 points at a loud Madison Square Garden to lead them to a 102-93 win.

Donovan Mitchell had a poor game, managing only 11 points on five-of-18 shooting, with Darius Garland stepping up for 23 points and 10 assists.

But the Knicks were too strong, with R.J. Barrett supporting Brunson with 26 points, while Josh Hart had 19 points and seven rebounds. Brunson shot five three-pointers, while Julius Randle sat out the fourth quarter, scoring on seven points fo the game.

The Minnesota Timberwolves staved off elimination and avoided a first-ever franchise sweep with a 114-108 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets, with Anthony Edwards delivering a clutch three-pointer to cap his 34 points. Denver center Nikola Jokic scored 43 points with 11 rebounds.

The Denver Nuggets are focusing all of their efforts on completing a series sweep over the Minnesota Timberwolves after taking a 3-0 lead on Friday.

Nikola Jokic inspired Denver to a 120-111 win at Target Center in Minnesota to take a huge step towards the Western Conference semi-finals, where the Phoenix Suns or Los Angeles Clippers will await.

Reigning back-to-back MVP Jokic posted 20 points (nine-of-13), 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a comprehensive effort against three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

It was the seventh triple-double of Jokic's career and played a major role in the Nuggets opening a huge series lead, which they will now hope to turn into their first playoff sweep in franchise history.

That is certainly the aim, though coach Michael Malone accepts the Timberwolves are not going to make it easy on their return to Target Center in Game 4 on Sunday.

"Up 3-0, our mindset right now is – no disrespect to the T-Wolves because this is about us – but we don't want to go back to Denver," he said.

"We know to close out a series a lot of times can be the hardest game. I'm hoping that we can find a way.

"We don't have a mindset of, 'Hey, we can just go back and close it in Denver.' Our mindset should be to close it in Game 4."

It was put to Jokic afterwards that the Nuggets' performance was impressive in part because they did not "need to win", though this mindset clearly did not resonate with the center.

"That's a funny question. We needed to win, we didn't want to give them life, if that makes sense," Jokic said.

"We wanted to be the aggressor. We wanted to punch them first. They need to react to us. That was our plan. I think we did a good job.

"Of course, we expected them to be aggressive and play really good, they were attacking the paint, attacking, attacking. That was their plan, we kind of knew it."

Denver head into Game 4 3-0 up in a series for only the second time, with the first being the 2009 semi-finals against the Dallas Mavericks.

While they could not clinch the sweep on that occasion, they did manage to get the job done in Game 5.

Malone and Jokic will be hoping to go one better this time.