Joel Embiid set a playoff career high with 50 points to lift host Philadelphia past the New York Knicks 125-114 on Thursday, cutting the 76ers’ deficit in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series to 2-1.
Embiid shot 13 of 19 from the field and 19 of 21 from the free-throw line.
Tyrese Maxey added 25 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 15 and Cameron Payne had 11 for the Sixers, who dropped two close games in New York to start the best-of-seven series.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 39 points and 13 assists. Josh Hart added 20 points and OG Anunoby had 17. Isaiah Hartenstein chipped in with 14.
Magic 121, Cavaliers 83
Paolo Banchero collected 31 points and 14 rebounds to fuel host Orlando past Cleveland in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Banchero sank four 3-pointers and had seven rebounds on the offensive glass for the fifth-seeded Magic, who trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. After scoring just 83 and 86 points in the first two games of the series, the Magic had 96 at the end of three quarters.
Jarrett Allen collected 15 points and eight rebounds and Caris LeVert added 15 points off the bench for Cleveland, whose 38-point loss is the worst in the club’s postseason history.
Nuggets 112, Lakers 105
Nikola Jokic compiled 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists as Denver moved one win away from the Western Conference semifinals with a victory at Los Angeles.
Aaron Gordon added 29 points with 15 rebounds as the Nuggets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Jamal Murray scored 22 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the Nuggets extend their winning streak over the Lakers to 11 games.
Los Angeles’ Anthony Davis logged 33 points and 15 rebounds, while LeBron James produced 26 points and nine assists. The Lakers are on their first losing streak of at least three games since the start of the new year, when they were in the midst of a four-game skid.
