By Field Level Media
CJ McCollum scored 23 points and sank the game-winning basket with 12.7 seconds left, lifting Atlanta to a 109-108 win over the visiting New York Knicks on Thursday and giving the Hawks a 2-1 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
The Hawks led 96-85 with 8:06 to go in the fourth quarter, but the Knicks roared back to tie the game at 105-105 on a 3-pointer by Miles McBride with 1:41 remaining. Jalen Brunson followed with a three-point play at the 1:03 mark, putting the Knicks on top.
A bucket by Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson cut the gap to 108-107, and Brunson shot an airball on the next possession, and the Hawks got the ball on a shot-clock violation with 16.4 seconds left. After a timeout, the Hawks got it to McCollum, who made the 16-foot fadeaway to reclaim the lead. The Hawks then made a defensive stop on Brunson, forcing a loose ball that was recovered by Jonathan Kuminga as time expired.
Johnson had 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while Kuminga came off the bench to score 21. New York got 29 points from OG Anunoby, 26 points from Brunson and 21 points and 17 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Raptors 126, Cavaliers 104
Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett each scored 33 points and Toronto defeated visiting Cleveland in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.
Reserve Jamison Battle scored all of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to ignite a Toronto surge that reduced Cleveland’s series lead to 2-1. Barnes added 11 assists and five rebounds for the Raptors. Rookie Collin Murray- Boyles had 22 points and eight rebounds, while Brandon Ingram scored 12 points.
James Harden scored 18 points for the Cavaliers, who made 22 turnovers in a careless performance. Donovan Mitchell was held to 15 points, and Max Strus and Evan Mobley also scored 15 each.
Timberwolves 113, Nuggets 96
Jaden McDaniels led a spirited defensive effort, reserve Ayo Dosunmu delivered a team-high 25 points and Minnesota held Denver to a season-low shooting percentage en route to a victory in Game 3 of their Western Conference first- round playoff series in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves hold a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven set that continues Saturday night in Minneapolis. McDaniels finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Anthony Edwards chipped in 17 points for the sixth-seeded Timberwolves.
Hounded much of the night by McDaniels, Jamal Murray shot just 5-for-17, missed all five of his 3-point attempts and totaled just 16 points for the Nuggets, who shot just 34.1% overall. Nikola Jokic was the game’s leading scorer with 27 points and leading rebounder with 15, but went just 7-for-26 from the field and missed eight of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc.
–Field Level Media
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