Anthony Edwards scored 43 points and sparked a fourth-quarter rally for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who put the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers on the brink of elimination with Sunday's 116-113 win in Game 4 of a Western Conference first-round series.
Edwards had 16 of his points in the fourth quarter as the seventh-seeded Timberwolves overcame a 12-point deficit late in the third to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Minnesota will try to close out the second-seeded Lakers when the series shifts back to Los Angeles for Wednesday's Game 5.
The Timberwolves also received 25 points from Julius Randle and 16 points and 11 rebounds from Jalen McDaniels, who put Minnesota ahead with a three-point play with 39.5 seconds left that gave his team a 114-113 edge.
Los Angeles got 38 points from Luka Dončić and 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists out of LeBron James, but the Pacific Division champions went cold in the fourth quarter while being outscored by a 32-19 margin for the period.
The Lakers seemed in control after Austin Reaves followed two James free throws, awarded due to a flagrant foul on Minnesota's Rudy Gobert, with a layup that gave Los Angeles a 94-82 lead in the final minute of the third quarter.
Los Angeles went just 5 of 18 from the field in the fourth, however, as the Timberwolves closed the gap before eventually taking a 105-104 advantage after Edwards hit three free throws with 3:47 remaining to cap an 8-0 run that started with five straight points from Naz Reid.
The Lakers regrouped to go up 113-111 with under two minutes left on consecutive 3-pointers from Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith, but McDaniels drew a foul from Reaves while slamming down a dunk on the ensuing possession.
He hit the resulting free throw to put Minnesota back ahead, then stole an errant pass from James before Edwards was fouled and made both attempts for a 116-113 lead with 10.7 seconds to go.
The Lakers had one final chance to force overtime, but Reaves misfired on a 3-point try just before the buzzer.
Lillard injures leg as Pacers take 3-1 lead on Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks were handed another defeat by the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, and may have been dealt an even costlier loss to one of their top players.
Indiana cruised to a 129-103 rout to take a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series, one the Bucks will likely be without Damian Lillard for the duration after the nine-time All-Star exited the game in the first half with a potentially serious left leg injury.
Lillard fell to the floor without being contacted midway through the opening period and was immediately helped to the locker room. Initial reports stated that preliminary tests on the 34-year-old revealed a possible ruptured left Achilles tendon.
The fourth-seeded Pacers are now in position to wrap up the series at home in Tuesday's Game 5 after eight Indiana players scored in double figures. Myles Turner led the way with 23 points, Andrew Nembhard added 20 and Tyrese Haliburton amassed 17 points and 15 assists.
Giannis Antetokounmpo paced fifth-seeded Milwaukee with 28 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. Kevin Porter Jr. finished with 23 points and six assists after getting increased time due to Lillard's departure.
The Bucks trailed 15-12 at the time of Lillard's exit, and the Pacers quickly took advantage by embarking on an 8-1 run to expand their lead to double digits. Indiana led 30-24 after one quarter behind Turner's nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.
Indiana remained in front the rest of the way, taking a 63-52 advantage into half-time and continuing to keep the Bucks at bay throughout the third quarter. The Pacers were up 101-84 entering the fourth despite Antetokounmpo putting up 18 third-quarter points as Milwaukee's lone offensive threat.
The Pacers then put the game out of reach in the final period, with the margin reaching 22 points after Obi Toppin's jumper just over two minutes into the final quarter made the score 110-88.
Missed call ends Knicks' narrow Game 4 win over Pistons
A big shot from Karl-Anthony Towns and a late assist from the officials has the New York Knicks on the verge of advancing to the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
After Towns hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 47 seconds left, the Knicks escaped Detroit with a 94-93 win in Game 4 of their first-round series after Pistons guard TIm Hardaway missed a shot at the buzzer that the officials later admitted should have been called a foul.
Hardaway appeared to draw contact from New York's Josh Hart as his 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining landed off the mark, with lead official David Guthrie telling reporters after the game that his crew erroneously allowed the play to stand.
Towns finished with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Jalen Brunson delivered 32 points and 11 assists to help the third-seeded Knicks gain a 3-1 series lead. New York can wrap up the series on its home court in Tuesday's Game 5.
The sixth-seeded Pistons missed out on an opportunity to even the series despite a 25-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double from Cade Cunningham. Detroit owned an 11-point lead with 8 1/2 minutes left before the Knicks embarked on a 16-5 run to tie the game at 84-84 with four minutes to play.
Tobias Harris added 18 points for Detroit, while Jalen Duren pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds.
Brunson ignited the Knicks' comeback by recording 15 fourth-quarter points on 7-of-11 shooting, though New York still trailed 93-89 with under two minutes left after the Pistons made four straight shots, including a pair by Hardaway that included a 3-pointer.
Towns answered by making a tough fadeaway on the Knicks' next possession, though, before knocking down a 27-footer inside the final minute to put his team ahead.
The Knicks controlled much of the first half, as they built a 29-19 lead after one quarter and were up by as many as 16 points in the second before the Pistons finished the half on an 11-2 run to get within 50-43 at the break.
Detroit then dominated the third quarter, holding New York to 5-of-21 shooting while outscoring the Knicks 28-14 for the period to take a 71-64 advantage into the fourth.
Celtics pull away from Magic to take 3-1 series lead
The Boston Celtics are also now one win away from advancing to the East semi-finals after Jayson Tatum scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to lead the defending NBA champions to a 107-98 Game 4 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Tatum added 14 rebounds and Jaylen Brown chipped in 21 points and 11 rebounds to help the second-seeded Celtics bounce back from Friday's 95-93 loss in Game 3. Kristaps Porziņģis and Derrick White had 19 and 18 points, respectively, for Boston, which returns home with a chance to close out the series in Tuesday's Game 5.
Paolo Banchero led the seventh-seeded Magic with 31 points despite missing 20 of his 32 field goal attempts. Franz Wagner contributed 24 points and seven assists, but no other Orlando player finished with more than 12 points.
The Celtics trailed 18-10 early on before reversing momentum with a 20-4 first-quarter run, then later went into half-time with a 53-48 lead after scoring the final seven points of the second quarter. Tatum capped the run with a 3-pointer in the final seconds and ended the first half with 15 points.
Orlando stayed within striking distance throughout the second half, however, and tied the game at 91-91 on Wendell Carter Jr.'s tip-in with 4:18 left to play.
Porzingis converted a three-point play on the following possession, though, to start a 10-1 spurt that allowed Boston to pull away. Tatum ended that run by making three free throw attempts after being fouled on a long-distance jumper to give the Celtics a 101-92 advantage with 2:19 remaining.
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