In the third game of the day, Atlanta revived the suspense a little by winning on its floor against the Boston Celtics (130-122), which allows the Hawks to return to 1-2 after the two opening losses in Massachusetts.

The suspense, however, fades in the a priori most unbalanced confrontation between Denver and Minnesota, the No. 8 seed.

After two clear losses in Colorado, Rudy Gobert's Wolves (18 pts, 10 rebounds) failed to turn the tide at home, losing 120-111.

Unsurprisingly, two-time Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokic contributed to the Minneapolis' woes by recording a triple-double (20 pts, 11 rbds, 12 assists), the 7th of his career in the finals.

Anthony Edwards (36 pts), Karl-Anthony Towns (27) and their teammates did not deserve - the gap was still only six points at the beginning of the last quarter--, but Denver was also able to count on its collective, with six players at least 10 points (including Michael Porter Jr at 25 units), especially late in the game, when Jokic was limited by fouls.

What else can Minnesota hope for before Sunday's Game 4? In the history of the play-offs, no team has so far managed to come back from a 0-3. But Nikola Jokic warned: "We know they will be even more aggressive in two days. So we're going to have to stay calm."

Anthony Edwards (L) of the Minnesota Timberwolves carries the ball against Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets during the NBA Finals on April 21, 2023 in Minneapolis © Gregory Shamus/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

The Knicks' defense at the top

In the East, the Knicks are not in as comfortable a position as Denver, but the New Yorkers took an ascendancy over Cleveland by winning in a supercharged Madison Square Garden (99-79), thanks to their defense that managed to extinguish Darius Garland (only 10 pts).

The gap peaked at 27 points, and even though Donovan Mitchell scored 22, the Cavaliers are the first team not to break the 80-point mark this season. To make their evening even more painful, Garland sprained his left ankle while stepping on a photographer's foot during the second half...

Julius Randle of the New York Knicks dunk during Game 3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA playoffs on April 21, 2023 in New York © JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

The two franchises will also meet again on Sunday and, again in front of their home crowd, the Knicks will have the opportunity to widen the gap.

Atlanta bounces back against the C's

In Georgia, the Celtics missed this opportunity by going through their second quarter (30-41).

In the tough in the first two games, Hawks point guard Trae Young responded this time (32 pts, 9 assists).

"The whole team produced play (...). It's not just about scoring, but also sometimes getting everyone with you," said Young, who also made two important blocks against the runners-up.

For the C's, Jayson Tatum was there (29 pts) but his 10 rebounds were not enough to prevent Atlanta from dominating in this area.

"It's just a matter of will, and they wanted more tonight," said teammate Marcus Smart (24 pts, 8 assists).

Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young flies over the Boston Celtics defense during an NBA Finals game on April 21, 2023 in Atlanta © Kevin C. Cox/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

With one minute to go before the buzzer, Tatum had one last chance to tie the two teams, but didn't hit three-pointers.

The Celtics star immediately made an appointment for Game 4 on Sunday. "I have to play better... This one is for me," he said.

© 2023 AFP