Paul George and James Harden each scored 33 points while playing key fourth-quarter roles to help the Los Angeles Clippers hold on after blowing a 31-point lead and beat the Dallas Mavericks 116-111 on Sunday, evening the first-round series at 2-2.

The Clippers won again without Kawhi Leonard, who also missed the series opener with right knee inflammation.

The teams have split a pair on each other’s home court in the third Western Conference first-round meeting between them in the past five seasons.

Kyrie Irving scored 40 points for Dallas, including an acrobatic layup with 2:15 remaining for a 104-103 lead that was the first for the Mavericks since the middle of the first quarter.

TIMBERWOLVES 122, SUNS 116: Anthony Edwards scored 40 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 28, and visiting Minnesota pulled away late to beat Phoenix and sweep the first-round playoff series.

Edwards scored 31 of his points in the second half and finished 13 of 23 from the field, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range. Continuing his ascent into superstardom, the 22-year-old threw down a powerful, one-handed jam to give Minnesota a 115-111 lead with 2:14 left. Phoenix would never recover.

 

EASTERN CONFERENCE

KNICKS 97, 76ERS 92: Jalen Brunson scored a career playoff-high points and added 10 assists as New Yorkwon at Philadelphia to take a 3-1 series lead.

OG Anunoby added 16 points and 14 rebounds and took on some of the defensive assignments against Joel Embiid in the fourth quarter as the Knicks moved within a victory of a second straight trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The No. 2-seeded Knicks can do that with a victory at home on Tuesday night.

Embiid played the entire second half after the 76ers faltered badly when he sat in the first. But the All-Star center, who has been dealing with lingering problems from his surgically repaired left knee that he appeared to reinjure after a dunk in Game 1, couldn’t muster a basket in the fourth quarter.

PACERS 126, BUCKS 113: Myles Turner scored 29 points, Tyrese Haliburton added 24, and host Indiana made a franchise playoff record 22 3-pointers as it pulled away late against Milwaukee.

 

The win gave the Pacers a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Indiana has won three straight since losing the opener and can reach the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2014 with a win Tuesday at Milwaukee.