The Nuggets' 113-104 overtime win Friday night gave them a 2-1 lead in the series, and they will host Game 4 in Denver.

The Thunder experienced this situation in the playoffs last year -- the No. 1 seed down and on the road in the second round -- and fell to Dallas in six games. There will be a sense of desperation Sunday that should be similar to Oklahoma City's Game 2 performance, when it won by 43 points.

The Thunder are a plus-32 in this series yet have lost two of the first three games, and the losses have been similar -- a lack of execution in the fourth quarter that allowed an outmanned Denver team to escape while relying on its championship experience.

Oklahoma City star and potential MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored only three points in the fourth quarter when he shot 1-for-8 from the field, and he didn't attempt a field goal in overtime.

"The game gets slower, execution matters more. In those moments when the game slows down, it usually comes down to your best players making shots and making plays," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I didn't do a good enough job of that."

Despite the taunts he heard from Nuggets fans, he remains unwavering heading into Game 4.

"Nothing's written," he said. "The series is not over."

His teammates haven't lost confidence, either.

"We obviously haven't won a championship like they have. But we've had close games against great teams on the road, and we've won," Alex Caruso said.

The Nuggets have done that in two of the first three games even though the Thunder have frustrated Jokic. He fouled out of Game 2, missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts Friday night and was 8-for-25 from the field.

He did make both his shot attempts in the overtime period but missed a potential game-winner at the end of the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma City has mixed up its defenses on the three-time MVP, bottling him up in the paint and forcing him to the perimeter. Jokic has dealt with nearly every situation in his career, but he has not solved the Thunder's defense.

"I don't know what they are doing," he said about the Thunder's defense. "Because if I knew, probably I'm not going to have those kinds of mistakes. So I need to figure out what they're doing."

It took Aaron Gordon's tying 3-pointer in the final minute of regulation and the bounce-back game from Michael Porter Jr. -- who went 5-for-6 from deep on his way to 21 points -- to rescue Denver.

Porter's play has been inconsistent due, in large part, to a sprained left shoulder that he has wrapped during games. He said he took an injection of lidocaine in his ailing joint, which normally needs up to six weeks to heal. He said missing time wasn't an option.

"I knew I wasn't doing that," Porter said.

Payton Pritchard scored a team-high 23 points off the bench for Boston, which cut the Knicks' lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Jaylen Brown scored 19 points and Derrick White had 17.

Jalen Brunson scored 27 points on 9-for-21 shooting to lead the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

After struggling to score in the first two games of the series, the Celtics found their rhythm on offense. Boston shot 48.2 percent (40 of 83) overall and 50 percent (20 of 40) from 3-point range, and New York shot 40 percent (32 of 80) from the field and 20 percent (5 of 25) from beyond the arc.

Tatum made a basket to put Boston on top 112-89 with 2:40 remaining. He assisted on a 3-pointer by Al Horford on the next possession, and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla rested his starters for the remainder of the game with the score out of reach.

The Celtics led 96-70 at the end of the third quarter. Boston led by as many as 31 points after Pritchard made a basket with 1:42 to go in the quarter, and the Knicks trimmed slightly into the deficit by scoring the final five points of the quarter on an alley-oop dunk by Mitchell Robinson, a floating jump shot by Brunson and a free throw by Robinson.

Boston sprinted to a 36-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. Pritchard drove the ball across half court and hit a baseline jumper as time expired to put the Celtics on top by 16.

By halftime, the Celtics increased their lead to 71-46. Brown buried a 3-pointer to put Boston at the 70-point mark with 30.5 seconds left in the half, and he made one of two free throws in the closing seconds to give the Celtics a 25-point advantage.

First off, Haliburton created little noise on the court by scoring just four points on 2-of-8 shooting during the fourth-seeded Pacers' 126-104 setback to the top-seeded Cavaliers.

Afterward, he was noticeably absent in any place inhabited by a reporter.

Haliburton, who addressed that situation on Saturday afternoon, will look to have more of an impact on Sunday night when the Pacers host the Cavaliers in Game 4 in Indianapolis.

Indiana holds a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Yet Cleveland is 3-0 on the road in the playoffs -- and is winning by an average of 38 points in those games.

Haliburton held court with reporters on Saturday, telling them that he wasn't made available by the league following Game 3.

As for how he was feeling now?

"The sun came up this morning," Haliburton said. "It's unfortunate. Didn't have a very good performance last night. (It's) more film for me to look at, more stuff to figure out. It's all part of the process."

It was a humbling performance by Haliburton, who had been the star of Indiana's show in its previous three games.

The All-Star guard made a driving layup in the waning moments of the Pacers' series-clinching win over the Milwaukee Bucks to cap a 26-point night. He then collected 22 points and 13 assists in the series opener versus Cleveland before draining a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 120-119 victory on Tuesday.

While Haliburton struggled on Friday, Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell turned in what head coach Kenny Atkinson labeled as a "masterful" performance.

"I don't use that word hardly ever," Atkinson said. "He was masterful in the way he controlled the game and not passing, making the right decision, defending. Probably for me, his best performance of the year. I don't know what the numbers look like, but he really played with a great kind of mindset, great head on his shoulders, super high IQ."

The numbers looked like this for Mitchell: 43 points on 14-for-29 shooting from the floor and 10 of 14 from the free-throw line. The six-time All-Star also had nine rebounds and made five 3-pointers after going 2-for-18 from beyond the arc in the previous two games.

Mitchell was intent on making sure his team didn't squander a big lead for the second straight game.

"We let one slip away at home in a similar fashion. So, for me, couldn't let it happen again," Mitchell said.

What's more important is Mitchell had help in the form of Max Strus and Jarrett Allen as well as the returns of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. Strus and Allen combined for 39 points and 19 rebounds on Friday, while Mobley added 18 and 13, respectively, in his return from a one-game absence due to a sprained left ankle.

Garland on the other hand struggled with both his body and foul trouble in his return from a four-game absence due to a sprained left toe. He finished with 10 points while laboring through the pain.

"Y'all don't understand what I'm going through," Garland said. "I mean, everybody has their opinion. I'm going out there and playing basketball. Everybody has their nicks and bruises around this time. So, going out and trying to win the series."

Nikola Jokic missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts and finished 8-for-25 from the field but ended the night with 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.

Game 4 is Sunday afternoon in Denver.

Aaron Gordon scored 22 points, including a tying bucket in the final minute of regulation, and Michael Porter Jr. went 5-for-6 from deep and finished with 21 points for the Nuggets, who finished 39-for-85 from the field (45.9 percent).

Jalen Williams scored 32 points for Oklahoma City, which was 1-for-7 from the field in overtime with two turnovers. Chet Holmgren had 18 points and 16 rebounds, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds and Isaiah Hartenstein had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who were 40-for-104 (38.5 percent) from the field.

Jokic opened overtime with a layup and Porter drained a 3-pointer to make it 107-102. Williams missed a floater and had a turnover, which led to Murray's layup with 3:02 left.

Holmgren's dunk with 1:56 left was Oklahoma City's only basket in overtime, and the Nuggets closed it out.

Gilgeous-Alexander went 7-for-22 from the field but put the Thunder ahead 93-92 with his first 3-pointer of the night with 7:33 left in the fourth.

Oklahoma City led 95-93 after Murray split a pair of free throws with 5:58 left, and both teams went cold from the field. Gilgeous-Alexander missed three straight shots and Denver tied it on Gordon's two free throws with 4:26 remaining.

Williams hit a layup and Murray tied it at 97 with two free throws and put Denver ahead with a 17-footer with 2:17 left.

Luguentz Dort gave Oklahoma City back in front with a 3-pointer - his only points of the night - Murray was called for a travel with 1:31 remaining and Williams made a pair of free throws to make it 102-99.

Gordon's 3-pointer tied it with 28 seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander missed a floater and Jokic's 20-footer at the buzzer was off, sending it to overtime.

Mitchell, who added nine rebounds, made 14-of-29 shots from the floor and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line. The six-time All-Star drained five 3-pointers after entering the contest just 2-for-18 from beyond the arc.

The top-seeded Cavaliers outscored Indiana by a 34-13 margin in the second quarter en route to cutting their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday in Indianapolis.

Max Strus collected 20 points and seven rebounds, Jarrett Allen had 19 and 12 and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley added 18 and 13, respectively, in his return from a one-game absence due to a sprained left ankle.

Darius Garland finished with just 10 points while being plagued by foul trouble. He was playing in his first game since April 23 because of a sprained left toe.

Cleveland held a decisive 56-37 edge in rebounds, including an 18-4 advantage on the offensive end.

Indiana's Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points off the bench and Pascal Siakam added 18.

Star Tyrese Haliburton was limited to just four points on 2-of-8 shooting for the fourth-seeded Pacers.

Siakam made a basket on the interior to forge a 36-36 tie before Cleveland went on a 30-9 run to end the second quarter. Strus, Mitchell and Sam Merrill each made 3-pointers during that sequence.

Andrew Nembhard drained consecutive 3-pointers to trim Indiana's deficit to 15 points at 80-65 with 4:50 remaining of the third quarter. The Cavaliers, however, responded with a 9-0 run to bolster their cushion.

Siakam sank a 3-pointer to bring the Pacers within 11 at 104-93 with 8:26 to play, however Cleveland went on a 19-5 run to seal the victory.

Cleveland scored the first 11 points of the game and upped its advantage to 15 before Indiana responded by scoring 22 of the final 29 points to earn a 32-32 tie at the end of the first quarter.

The teams are scheduled for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday in the best-of-seven series, with the clubs each having won a game when the Western semifinals opened in Minneapolis earlier in the week.

As the sixth seed in the West, the Timberwolves were the underdogs when they began their first-round series with a road win over the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers last month.

Minnesota came away from the trip with a split, then never lost again in a 4-1 elimination of the Lakers, a three-game winning streak that included a clinching victory back in L.A. in Game 5.

The upset win earned the Timberwolves the home-court advantage over the Warriors, who also pulled a first-round surprise as the West's No. 7 seed, outlasting the Houston Rockets in seven games.

When last seen at home, Golden State blew a chance to wrap up the first-round series in six games, dropping a 115-107 decision to the second-seeded Rockets last Friday.

The Warriors have been on the road ever since, having returned to Houston for a successful Game 7 before heading straight to Minneapolis for Games 1 and 2.

As it did against the Rockets, Golden State gained an immediate upper hand against the Timberwolves with a 99-88 road win on Tuesday. But they lost star guard Stephen Curry to a strained left hamstring in the process.

Curry, who sat out Thursday's 117-93 loss in the rematch at Minnesota, already has been ruled out of Games 3 and 4. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated on the eve of Game 5 when the clubs return to the Timberwolves' home floor.

Coincidentally, the Warriors were without Jimmy Butler when they hosted the Rockets in Game 3 after the key in-season acquisition suffered a pelvic contusion in Houston. That didn't stop Golden State from going up 2-1 in the series behind Curry's 36 points in the first of consecutive home games, before Butler returned to contribute 27 points to a Game 4 victory.

If there was a positive to Thursday's blowout, it was that Warriors coach Steve Kerr was able to experiment with different combinations in an effort to find new sources of production that could help minimize the impact of Curry being out.

Jonathan Kuminga, who saw action in just three of the seven games in the Houston series, hit 8 of 11 shots in an 18-point, eye-opening performance. Trayce Jackson-Davis, who left the bench for just 24 minutes against the Rockets, chipped in with 15 points and six rebounds.

"There's no Steph. It's a completely different team," Kerr assured Friday when asked if he had rotation changes in mind for Game 3. "Everything has to be about finding a new formula, and JK (Kuminga) is absolutely a part of that formula."

Continuing the thought, he added, "(Jackson-Davis) showed he can be effective against this team."

Golden State's new look hardly impacted the Timberwolves, who rode big nights from Julius Randle (24 points, 11 assists) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (20 point) to the one-sided win.

Make no mistake, Minnesota coach Chris Finch insisted afterward, the best thing that happened all night was when star Anthony Edwards, who went to the locker room after suffering an injury to his left ankle in the second quarter, returned to the lineup after halftime.

"There's lots of ways being an elite athlete pays off," he noted. "Being able to shake those things off certainly is one of them. I was really planning on not seeing him the rest of the game."

The Knicks grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after storming back from 20-point deficits in back-to-back games. Thibodeau told his players to forget all about that.

"It's really irrelevant," Thibodeau said. "I think the big thing is to understand what it's going to take to win Game 3, to not get lost in if you're up (in the series). That doesn't guarantee anything. What we have to understand is what we have to do to win Game 3."

Meanwhile, the Celtics expect to play with a hint of desperation when Game 3 tips off on Saturday afternoon in New York.

Boston finished 61-21 in the regular season and earned the second seed in the conference playoffs. But the Celtics fumbled big leads in the first two games of the series, which resulted in a 108-105 overtime win by the third-seeded Knicks in Game 1 and a 91-90 win for the Knicks in Game 2.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla knows the series will not get any easier at Madison Square Garden.

"You're down 2-0 heading on the road," Mazzulla said. "You have an understanding of your environment and what you're up against. There's also obviously a lot of things that we're doing well, but then there's things that we need to be extremely better at in those situations.

"We're down 0-2. We've got to get on the road and we've got to find a way to win."

For Boston, that likely means Jayson Tatum will need to play better. He is averaging 18 points in the first two games but he is shooting a lowly 28.6 percent (12 of 42) overall and 25 percent (5 of 20) from beyond the arc.

Jaylen Brown (21.5 points per game) and Derrick White (19.5) lead the Celtics in scoring in the series, but the team has struggled to find its rhythm on offense. Boston is shooting 35.6 percent overall and 25 percent from 3-point range in the first two games.

The Knicks' top scorer in the series is Jalen Brunson at 23 points per game. Josh Hart is next with 18.5 points per game, and Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 17.5 points and 15 rebounds through the first two games.

New York is shooting 42.8 percent overall and 38.2 percent from 3-point range.

Mazzulla was asked whether Boston's struggles on offense, including its loose-ball turnovers, were a result of self-inflicted mistakes by the Celtics or great defense by the Knicks.

"I think it's both," Mazzulla said. "I think it's on us, I think it's on me to call better plays, it's on our guys to make better reads. And obviously the Knicks are doing a good job defending us."

That is something Thibodeau wants to continue to see from his team. He said it was great that the series was shifting to the Knicks' home court, but ultimately his players' mindset would matter much more than the venue.

"We have great fans, and we certainly appreciate the fans and the arena and all that," Thibodeau said. "But what we have to understand is what goes into winning Game 3. You have to earn it. It's not given to you. There's no guarantee because you're up in the series. There's no guarantee because you're at home. You have to earn it, and you have to earn it play after play."

Lasry was hit by a countersuit seeking $100 million on Thursday from Gina Strum, an attorney and executive. Strum filed the suit in New York Supreme Court, with Lasry's Avenue Capital Group and its co-founder, Sonia Gardner (Lasry's sister), also named as defendants.

Strum maintains that "Lasry exploited his position as CEO of Avenue Capital to manipulate, harass, and retaliate against Strum after she refused his advances and reported misconduct."

The countersuit states that "Lasry engaged in a pattern of grooming and predatory behavior, using his authority, personal disclosures, and emotional manipulation to erode professional boundaries and cultivate inappropriate dependence. Strum asserts claims for, among others, sexual harassment, sexual assault, defamation, retaliation, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraud."

A statement issued Friday by Kekst CNC, which said it represents Lasry and Avenue Capital Group, said the "repackaging of the lawsuit with an amended complaint demanding $100 million is an attempt to create new headlines.

"Ms. Strum continues to attempt to use the media as part of her malicious campaign to ruin the reputations of Avenue, Marc Lasry, and Sonia Gardner for financial gain. Her new press release is one of several that she has issued in her efforts to generate publicity," the statement read.

"Further, it is important to note that the amended complaint Ms. Strum filed yesterday is essentially the same lawsuit that she filed on October 23, 2024. Since that time, she has cycled through multiple law firms and is now on her seventh law firm. As Avenue explained in prior court filings, ‘Ms. Strum's lawyers are either quitting to avoid sanctions, or are being fired by Ms. Strum for refusing to propagate her vicious falsehoods. Her rapid and repeated changes in counsel confirm that there is something fundamentally wrong with Ms. Strum's claims, threats, tactics and gamesmanship.' One of Ms. Strum's prior counsel in this matter ‘filed a ‘noisy' withdrawal citing ethical concerns.'"

In October, Lasry, Avenue Capital and Gardner sued Strum, accusing her of using harassment and blackmail in an attempt to gain $50 million. Strum denied the allegations.

Richard Roth, Strum's attorney and managing partner of The Roth Law Firm, said Thursday in a statement, "The complaint describes a disturbing pattern of physical and emotional misconduct. It asserts that Mr. Lasry exploited years of personal disclosures about his wife and daughters to foster an inappropriate emotional attachment, blurring professional boundaries and positioning Ms. Strum as an emotional surrogate.

"According to the complaint, this manipulation escalated into unwanted touching and ultimately a quid pro quo sexual harassment dynamic -- where Ms. Strum's professional opportunities and financial future were conditioned on tolerating Lasry's personal demands, misconduct, and predatory behavior. The complaint states that Ms. Strum reasonably believed that accepting his pressure to join Avenue internally would inevitably require her to submit to physical sexual demands."

Avenue's statement on Friday said the October countersuit is not a retaliation but, rather, it "lay bare Ms. Strum's long course of inappropriate and threatening conduct," and called it "a direct and appropriate response to hold her accountable for her defamatory actions."

The statement added that Avenue, Mr. Lasry and Ms. Gardner will be pressing their own claims as part of the litigation process.

"Mr. Lasry has never engaged in any inappropriate conduct towards Ms. Strum, and there was no abuse or sexual harassment by Mr. Lasry, as she claims," it read. "As Mr. Lasry's lawsuit against Ms. Strum makes clear, it was Ms. Strum who engaged in repeated inappropriate conduct towards Mr. Lasry. He has refused to give in to Ms. Strum's outrageous demands, choosing instead to litigate in court.

"Additionally, Ms. Strum spitefully sought to harm Ms. Gardner by publishing false information about her health -- statements by Ms. Strum that simply are not true. Ms. Gardner has always worked full time and is in fact in excellent health. Ms. Gardner, a lifelong advocate of women, and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Capital Development Fund for Gender Equality in Access to Finance, stated: ‘Ms. Strum's allegations of harassment at Avenue, and her lies about my health, have been fabricated as a vindictive and strategic response to being told that her proposed business opportunity was not feasible. Her false claims undermine the legitimate claims of those women in other workplaces who have suffered abuse.'"

Lasry, 65, was part of the Bucks' ownership group from 2014-2023. Earlier this week, Sportico reported that Lasry and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan are working to purchase a stake in the New York Giants.

Anthony Edwards added 20 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota, which evened the best-of-seven series at 1-1. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 20 points off the bench, and Jaden McDaniels finished with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting.

Jonathan Kuminga scored 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting to lead the Warriors. Jimmy Butler III tallied 17 points to go along with seven rebounds.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry watched the game in street clothes on the bench. The contest marked Golden State's first playoff game without Curry, who injured his left hamstring in Game 1 and is expected to miss at least a week.

The Timberwolves overcame an injury scare to Edwards in Game 2. Their leading scorer during the regular season limped slowly off the court after injuring his left ankle in the second quarter, but he returned to start the second half.

Golden State pulled within 62-55 by starting the third quarter on a 16-6 run. Buddy Hield punctuated the run with a 3-pointer off an assist from Brandin Podziemski.

Minnesota responded with an 18-5 run later in the third quarter to re-establish control. Alexander-Walker buried a 3-pointer from the left wing to put the Timberwolves on top 83-63 with 27.1 seconds left in the period.

The Timberwolves' regulars watched the final few minutes from the bench with the score out of reach. Reserves such as Terrence Shannon Jr., Josh Minott and Leonard Miller scored in the final two minutes.

The Timberwolves led 56-39 at the half.

Minnesota started the game on a 25-7 run. Edwards drained a 3-pointer and Alexander-Walker added a two-point basket to put the Timberwolves on top by 18 with 2:36 remaining in the first quarter.

Frustrations mounted for Golden State in the second quarter. Draymond Green drew a technical foul after swatting Naz Reid on a physical play, and Green gave officials an earful before Warriors coach Steve Kerr benched him so he could calm his emotions.

Edwards stayed on the court for a while after sustaining the injury, which happened midway through the second quarter when Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis inadvertently stepped on his left ankle. The Timberwolves called a timeout and eventually Edwards limped slowly toward the locker room.

A short time later, Minnesota deemed Edwards' return as questionable.

Edwards had seven points in 15 minutes when he left injured. He led the Timberwolves in scoring with 27.6 points per game during the regular season.

Minnesota held a 56-39 halftime lead as it looked to even the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series at one win apiece.

Gina Strum, an attorney and executive, filed the suit in New York Supreme Court, with Lasry's Avenue Capital Group and its co-founder, Sonia Gardner (Lasry's sister), also named as defendants.

Strum maintains that "Lasry exploited his position as CEO of Avenue Capital to manipulate, harass, and retaliate against Strum after she refused his advances and reported misconduct."

The countersuit states that "Lasry engaged in a pattern of grooming and predatory behavior, using his authority, personal disclosures, and emotional manipulation to erode professional boundaries and cultivate inappropriate dependence. Strum asserts claims for, among others, sexual harassment, sexual assault, defamation, retaliation, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraud."

In October, Lasry, Avenue Capital and Gardner sued Strum, accusing her of using harassment and blackmail in an attempt to gain $50 million. Strum denied the allegations.

An Avenue Capital spokesperson told Business Insider: "Ms. Strum's allegations are completely false and represent her further attempt to malign the reputations of Mr. Lasry, Ms. Gardner, and Avenue for financial gain."

Richard Roth, Strum's attorney and managing partner of The Roth Law Firm, said Thursday in a statement, "The complaint describes a disturbing pattern of physical and emotional misconduct. It asserts that Mr. Lasry exploited years of personal disclosures about his wife and daughters to foster an inappropriate emotional attachment, blurring professional boundaries and positioning Ms. Strum as an emotional surrogate.

"According to the complaint, this manipulation escalated into unwanted touching and ultimately a quid pro quo sexual harassment dynamic -- where Ms. Strum's professional opportunities and financial future were conditioned on tolerating Lasry's personal demands, misconduct, and predatory behavior. The complaint states that Ms. Strum reasonably believed that accepting his pressure to join Avenue internally would inevitably require her to submit to physical sexual demands."

Lasry, 65, was part of the Bucks' ownership group from 2014-2023. Earlier this week, Sportico reported that Lasry and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan are working to purchase a stake in the New York Giants.

The Thunder's 43-point rout Wednesday night evened the series, which shifts to Denver for the next two games, starting with Game 3 Friday night.

Oklahoma City needs to win one of those road games to take back home-court advantage, which shouldn't be a tough task for a team that went 32-8 away from home during the regular season and won its first two on the road in the playoffs.

To get at least one win, the Thunder need to bring the same energy they had in Game 2 when they led by 24 after the first quarter, scored 87 points in the first half and were up by as much as 49.

"Winning by a hundred or winning by two, it's still 1-1, and I think that's very important," Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Like I said, especially in the series, every game's going to look different. People are going to make adjustments. It's going to be a different crowd, a different feel. You're going to start hot, you're going to start cold, everything's going to look different. It's important to turn the page."

The Thunder will likely stick with their game plan to contain Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. They were physical with the three-time MVP and frustrated him before he fouled out late in the third quarter. He finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six turnovers after putting up 42 points and 22 rebounds in Denver's Game 1 win.

Jokic gave credit to Oklahoma City, saying only one team played the game, while Aaron Gordon came to his teammate's defense.

"They are fouling Joker first. You know Jok is reactionary and they do get the second guy a lot of the times," Gordon said. "But they are fouling him throughout the game -- point blank. Period. And it's a thing you can't call every foul because you would be calling a foul every single play. But they are fouling him. They are a handsy team."

Jokic wasn't the only one who struggled. The Nuggets shot just 37.9 percent from the field, committed 21 turnovers and were outrebounded 44-38 after winning that category by 20 on Monday night.

Denver will lean on its championship experience to respond as it has in the past. The Nuggets were routed in Game 3 of the first round but came back to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4; last year they were down 0-2 to Minnesota before reeling off three straight wins.

Interim coach David Adelman said the players owned their performance after watching the game film on Thursday.

"A lot of guys had thoughts on what they felt (Wednesday) night," he said. "And that allows you to move on and do things better (Friday)."

There is also concern about Michael Porter Jr.'s health. Though he is not on the injury report for Game 3, Porter has been dealing with a left shoulder sprain suffered in the first round and has struggled with his shot at times. He was on the bench in crunch time during Game 1, and Russell Westbrook has seen his minutes increase.

Haliburton also seems determined to change the narrative after being voted by his peers as the NBA's most overrated player in an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic.

The All-Star guard made a driving layup in the waning moments of the Pacers' series-clinching overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Haliburton followed that up by collecting 22 points and 13 assists in the series opener versus top-seeded Cleveland before sinking a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 120-119 victory on Tuesday and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.

The frenzied finish, in which the fourth-seeded Pacers overcame a seven-point deficit in the final minute, was just par for the course in Haliburton's eyes.

"It's the NBA. Crazier things have happened," he said. "... We've had many games where you could take a screenshot at any moment and be like, ‘How did they win this game?'

"We just have a resilient group. We just figure out ways to win. We don't give up and we're battle-tested."

Haliburton certainly is battle-tested. In fact, he has a wrap on his left, non-shooting wrist to show for it.

"I'm fine," Haliburton told the Indianapolis Star following Thursday's practice. "I'll be fine for the game. I'm all good."

The Pacers would be trending to "all good" status with a victory on Friday. That would put them on the brink of securing a second consecutive conference finals appearance.

Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell scored 48 points on 15-for-30 shooting from the floor and 17-of-21 from the free-throw line.

Max Strus had 23 points and Jarrett Allen added 22 to go along with 12 rebounds for the undermanned Cavaliers, who played their fourth straight game without All-Star Darius Garland (left big toe sprain).

Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain) and key reserve De'Andre Hunter (right thumb sprain) missed Game 2 after sustaining their respective injuries in the series opener.

"I'm proud of every individual that put up a fight," Mitchell said. "We've shown how deep we are as a team, how great we are as a unit. But it's tough losing like that. We've got to find a way to get one in Indy."

The Cavaliers listed Garland, Mobley and Hunter as questionable for Game 3 on the NBA injury report late Thursday afternoon. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson earlier noted that the trio participated -- to some extent -- in practice on Thursday.

"It was shootaround basically, so they all touched the ball," Atkinson said. "They all got some reps up, but we didn't do anything live. They kind of participated in the walk-through, and (we're) hoping for the best."

Atkinson also said the team is doing its best to keep its spirits up given the makeshift lineup.

"I think it's frustrating for all of us, and it's no indictment on anybody or the players -- none of that," Atkinson said. "It's just injuries are a tough thing, and you don't really know unless you experience it yourself."

"No, this is new, and from all that I'm learning about how quickly you can get back, there has to be a healing process," Curry told reporters on Thursday of a potential return date. "This is the way the body works and you can't accelerate it more than what it's telling you.

"... After a week, we'll re-evaluate it every day to understand just to think about playing, let alone how much you can push it."

The four-time NBA champion also applied the brakes as it relates to the temptation to rush back into action.

"Eventually there will be conversations like that. But I'm not anywhere close to that," Curry said. "I know how tricky hamstrings can be. They can fool you to think they're healed even if you don't feel anything."

A one-week absence would sideline Curry until Wednesday for Game 5 in Minneapolis, if necessary. Game 6, if necessary, would be played May 18 in San Francisco.

Curry was injured while scoring on a driving mid-range floater during the second quarter of the Warriors' 99-88 win over the Timberwolves in Game 1 on Tuesday in Minneapolis. The two-time NBA MVP and 11-time All-Star promptly reached for his left leg and signaled to the bench that he needed to come out of the game.

Curry had scored 13 points in 13 minutes when he left the game. He shot 5-for-9 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Curry, 37, averaged 24.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists to help the Warriors knock off the Houston Rockets in a seven-game, first-round series.

The Thunder, who set a franchise single-game playoff scoring record, tied the best-of-seven series 1-1 ahead of Game 3 in Denver on Friday.

After losing on a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of Game 1, the Thunder made sure the Nuggets wouldn't have a chance to pull off another late shocker. Oklahoma City poured it on early, scoring 45 first-quarter points and stretching the lead to 24 just more than 10 minutes into the game.

The Thunder tied the NBA playoff record for points in a half with 87, leading by as many as 35 before intermission. The only other team to score 87 points in a half during the postseason was the Milwaukee Bucks in the second half of a second-round game in 1978 against the Nuggets.

Oklahoma City didn't let up in the third quarter, stretching the advantage to 48 points heading into the fourth.

By that time, Denver star Nikola Jokic had fouled out, and the only question was how big the margin would be.

With Denver trailing by 41 points and just more than a minute remaining in the third quarter, Jokic was called for his second offensive foul in less than a minute to end his night.

After his 42-point, 22-rebound performance in Game 1, Jokic had just 17 points and eight rebounds in Game 2. He shot 6 of 16 from the field.

Gilgeous-Alexander had his night end soon after for another reason.

The Most Valuable Player favorite hit two free throws in the last second of the quarter before heading to the bench to watch the Thunder bench handle the fourth.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished 11 of 13 from the floor and hit all 11 of his free throws. He added eight assists and finished plus-51 in plus/minus.

Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams added 17 points and Chet Holmgren, who missed a pair of critical free throws just before Aaron Gordon's Game 1 winner, finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Holmgren was 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.

Russell Westbrook led the Nuggets with 19 points, and Jamal Murray contributed 14. Gordon, who had 22 points and 14 rebounds in the series opener, finished with just 10 points (on 3-of-12 shooting) and five boards.

Boston had a chance to recover in the final seconds, but Mikal Bridges knocked the ball away from Jayson Tatum and New York took possession.

Josh Hart had a game-high 23 points for New York, which trailed by 20 points in the third quarter and by 16 in the fourth. The Knicks received 21 points and 17 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns.

Bridges put up 14 points -- all in the fourth quarter. Brunson finished with 17 points and a game-high seven assists.

Derrick White and Jaylen Brown each scored 20 points for the Celtics.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be played Saturday in New York.

New York took its first lead on a Brunson layup that made it 87-86 with 1:59 to play. Another Brunson layup capped a 21-2 run that stretched New York's lead to three points before two Tatum free throws pulled the Celtics within one point with 44.9 seconds left.

Boston took a 90-89 lead on a Tatum dunk with 18.5 seconds to go, but Brunson knocked down two free throws on the ensuing possession.

Tatum, who averaged 26.8 points per game during the regular season, was held to 13 points, but he grabbed 14 rebounds.

Boston also received eight points off the bench from Kristaps Porzingis, who didn't play in the second half of Game 1 because of an illness. Porzingis played 14 minutes in Game 2.

The Celtics played without Sam Hauser, who sustained an ankle injury in the third quarter of Game 1.

Boston led 24-13 after one quarter on Wednesday and 50-41 at halftime. The Celtics were up by 16 before the Knicks finished the second quarter on an 11-4 run. Tatum was held to two points in the first half.

The Celtics extended their lead to 70-50 on a Porzingis dunk with 4:05 remaining in the third, but New York scored the final eight points in the quarter to cut Boston's lead to 73-61 entering the final frame.

The Warriors face their first full-game test without Curry when they tip off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals series on Thursday in Minneapolis. Golden State has a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series and seeks to steal a second straight victory on the road.

It will not be easy without Curry, who injured his left hamstring in the second quarter of Tuesday's series opener. He scored 13 points in 13 minutes before he sustained the injury, which is expected to keep him out for at least one week.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed confidence that the rest of the team could keep thriving, though Curry hasn't missed a playoff game since Game 1 of the 2018 Western Conference semifinals against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Since Curry was drafted by the Warriors in 2009, the organization owns an 8-3 record in playoff games without him - but 104-51 with him.

"Every year the playoffs are about adapting -- whether it's a game plan, an injury, a lineup, so we just have to adapt," Kerr said. "We've done this before. We're confident we can do this again."

Part of the reason for Kerr's confidence is the presence of Jimmy Butler, who joined the team in February thanks to a trade with the Miami Heat. Butler nearly finished with a triple-double in Game 1 with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. He will take on an even more prominent role in Game 2.

"We're absolutely going to rely on Jimmy like we have when Steph has been off the floor the last couple months," Kerr said. "We ran everything through Jimmy, but we can't just rely on him creating every single shot. We've got to execute offensively."

Minnesota is eager to even the series before both teams head to San Francisco to play Games 3 and 4. The Timberwolves looked rusty after a five-day layoff heading into the series opener, and they will look to be sharper offensively.

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards said he and his teammates could not afford to dwell too much on a disappointing opener. He scored only one point in the first half as Minnesota fell behind by as many as 23 points before pulling back within single digits.

"I just look at (it like) every last one of us has got to play better individually, including myself," Edwards said. "And we'll see how it goes."

Besides Edwards, who shot 9 of 22 and made one 3-pointer in the series opener, the Timberwolves also look for better shooting from backcourt contributors such as Donte DiVincenzo (3 of 11) and Mike Conley (0 of 5).

Julius Randle said he also was motivated to play better. He scored 18 points against the Warriors in the opener but finished with only three rebounds.

"I can't have three rebounds," Randle said. "We've all got to play better. I've got to play better as an individual. I can't come away from this game playing 30 minutes and have three rebounds, so I've got to play better."

For Golden State, Curry's absence could create additional scoring opportunities for distance shooters such as Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski. Hield scored a team-high 24 points in the series opener while Podziemski will try to bounce back from a rough performance in which he missed six of seven shots from the field and four of five shots from 3-point range.

Kerr said his players will be motivated to play well while Curry is sidelined.

"I don't need to give a ‘One For Steph' speech," Kerr said. "Everyone knows. They want to do it for him. Nobody has to say that."

The two sides now have until June 29 to decide whether to exercise the 2025-26 option or perhaps negotiate a longer-term deal, per the report.

VanVleet, 31, has played the past two seasons in Houston following seven seasons in Toronto, where he captured an NBA title in 2018-19 and made the All-Star team in 2021-22.

VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 60 games (all starts) for the Rockets this season. He finished third on the team with 159 3-point buckets as Houston ended a four-year playoff drought.

Undrafted in 2016 out of Wichita State, VanVleet has averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 550 career games (401 starts).

He will receive the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy and a $100,000 donation from the league for his foundation.

Holiday, who won the NBA's Sportsmanship Award for the second time last week, was one of five finalists selected for "pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar's life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically disadvantaged," according to a league statement.

The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund has distributed $5.3 million in grants and delivered more than 400 hours of coaching and support to nearly 200 businesses across the U.S.

"Since entering the league, Jrue Holiday has dedicated himself to helping others in their times of greatest need and pursuing a more just society for all," NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum said. "The selflessness that defines his game is even more evident in the work he and his wife Lauren do off the floor to create more opportunities for a generation of youth who might have otherwise been overlooked."

The JLH Fund was established when Holiday pledged $5 million of his 2020 NBA salary to combat systemic racism and economic injustice.

Holiday, 34, joins previous winners Carmelo Anthony, Reggie Bullock, Stephen Curry and Karl-Anthony Towns.

The other finalists were Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, Harrison Barnes of the San Antonio Spurs, Chris Boucher of the Toronto Raptors and CJ McCollum of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Per the report, Curry's return date will be based on how he responds to rehab with his initial muscle strain.

A week's absence would sideline Curry until next Wednesday for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinal series against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis, if necessary. Game 6, if necessary, would be played May 18 in San Francisco.

Curry was injured while scoring on a driving mid-range floater during the second quarter of the Warriors' 99-88 win over the Timberwolves in Game 1 on Tuesday in Minneapolis. The two-time NBA MVP and 11-time All-Star promptly reached for his left leg and signaled to the bench that he needed to come out of the game.

Curry had scored 13 points in 13 minutes when he left the game. He shot 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Curry, 37, averaged 24.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists to help the Warriors knock off the Houston Rockets in a seven-game, first-round series.