WASHINGTON, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Nikola Jokic scored 37 points to help the Denver Nuggets avoid being swept out of the NBA playoffs on their home floor on Sunday, beating the Golden State Warriors 126-121.
Realizing the desperate situation, the Nuggets were determined to deny a sweep and took a 26-21 lead over the Warriors in the first quarter. In addition, behind rookie Bones Hyland's three consecutive shots, the Nuggets opened a 40-23 lead in the second quarter and had a nine-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter.
In the last minutes of the game, Stephen Curry nailed a long jumper to give Golden State a 121-119 lead. Jokic made a layup, Monte Morris sank a go-ahead jumper with 33 seconds remaining, and Will Barton made the deciding corner three-pointer for the win.
27-year-old Jokic of Serbia, last season's NBA Most Valuable Player, also delivered eight rebounds and six assists. Curry had 33 to lead Golden State, while Thompson had 32 in his first 30-point playoff game since the 2019 NBA Finals.
Elsewhere, Miami used team defense to hold Atlanta's Trae Young and then leaned on Jimmy Butler to get a win.
The Hawks led 37-29 before Miami took control with a 15-0 run. Miami outscored its opponent 30-15 in the second quarter, holding the Hawks to a season scoring low for the period. Butler scored 13 of his 36 points in the dominant second quarter and the Heat beat the Hawks 110-86 to take a 3-1 series lead.
Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered 32 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to beat the Chicago Bulls 119-95 in Chicago. The Greek star also passed off seven assists and blocked two shots to put the Bucks in control.
The Bucks led by 22 points early in the third quarter and steadied themselves until the end of the game. Grayson Allen delivered another huge effort off the bench, scoring 27 points, surpassing his previous post-season scoring high of 22 points in Game 3.
Brandon Ingram scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter as the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Phoenix Suns 118-103 in Game 4 to tie the first-round series. The Suns played their second straight game without Devin Booker, their leading scorer, who strained his right hamstring in the Suns' Game 2 loss. ■