Nuggets take 3-0 lead over Timberwolves, Knicks dominate Cavs

LOS ANGELES: The Denver Nuggets, fueled by a Nikola Jokic triple-double, beat Minnesota 120-111 on Friday to take a 3-0 stranglehold on their NBA Western Conference playoff series as the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks notched big home wins.

The Knicks had Madison Square Garden rocking with a dominant 99-79 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers that put New York up 2-1.

The Hawks clawed back to 2-1 after dropping the first two games against the Celtics in Boston with a 130-122 triumph.

Atlanta crucially avoided falling into a 3-0 hole — a deficit no NBA team has ever recovered from to win a best-of-seven series.

And that’s exactly where Western Conference top seeds Denver have the Timberwolves after two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic’s seventh career playoff triple-double.

Jokic scored 20 points with 11 rebounds and 12 assists, and when he was limited by foul trouble in the third quarter his teammates kept the pressure on.

Michael Porter Jr scored 25 points to lead six Nuggets players in double figures and Denver’s reserves out-scored the Timberwolves bench 29-10.

They kept the Timberwolves at bay despite a sparkling 36 points from Anthony Edwards, whose three-pointer early in the third pulled Minnesota within three points.

They were down by five with less than five minutes remaining, but couldn’t break through.

Jokic, who led the league with 29 triple-doubles in the regular season, said he knows they’ll be even more determined on Sunday to prevent a sweep on their home floor.

“We know they’re going to go even more aggressive in two days,” Jokic said. “So we just need to keep our composure and we know what to expect.”

In New York, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points and RJ Barrett added 19 for the