NBA: Knicks and Nuggets in Trouble

A clutch basket from CJ McCollum with 12.7 seconds remaining secured a narrow 109-108 victory for the Atlanta Hawks over the New York Knicks, giving the home team a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

McCollum, who finished the game with 23 points and was also the hero of the Hawks' Game 2 win in New York, sank a pull-up jumper to seal the outcome.

The decisive play came after the Knicks had erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit, even taking a 108-105 lead following a Jalen Brunson three-point play with just over a minute left.

However, the Knicks failed to score again, giving the Hawks an opportunity to win. After Johnson cut the lead to 108-107 and both Hart and Brunson missed shots, McCollum stepped up and delivered. On the final possession, strong defense on Brunson forced a turnover, which Jonathan Kuminga recovered as the buzzer sounded.

For the Hawks, Jalen Johnson was a standout with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Kuminga contributed 21 points off the bench. On the Knicks' side, OG Anunoby led all scorers with 29 points, followed by Brunson with 26. Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds.

In Toronto, the Raptors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, cutting their series deficit to 1-2, thanks to 33-point performances from Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.

The home team also received a crucial contribution from reserve Jamison Battle, who scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter, propelling the team to victory. Barnes also added 11 assists and five rebounds. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles scored 22 points, and Brandon Ingram chipped in with 12.

The Cavaliers had a disastrous night, committing 22 turnovers. James Harden was the team's leading scorer with 18 points, while Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, and Evan Mobley each scored 15 points.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference series against the Denver Nuggets, securing a victory in Minneapolis built on an elite defensive performance.

The defense, spearheaded by Jaden McDaniels, limited the Nuggets to their worst shooting percentage of the season (34.1%). Offensively, reserve Ayo Dosunmu led the Timberwolves with 25 points. McDaniels contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Anthony Edwards scored 17.

Pressured for much of the game by McDaniels, the Nuggets' Jamal Murray had a night to forget, finishing with just 16 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the field. Nikola Jokic was the game's leading scorer with 27 points and top rebounder with 15, but he also struggled, hitting only 7 of his 26 shots against Rudy Gobert's suffocating defense.

The Knicks and Nuggets, who finished as the third-best teams in the regular season in the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectively, now face significant pressure heading into Game 4 on Saturday, once again on the sixth seeds' home courts. Further losses would leave two title contenders on the brink of elimination, forced to win three consecutive games.