The top-seeded Denver Nuggets are one win away from advancing to the Western Conference semifinals after a workmanlike 120-111 Game 3 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. The Nuggets resisted an early barrage from an energetic Wolves group, taking a lead in the second quarter that they would never relinquish en route to a 3-0 series lead.

It's another busy Sunday in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs. Four series are in action throughout the day, and the Knicks started things off with a Game 4 win at home. The Warriors then evened their series against the Kings, as Stephen Curry scored 32 points in a Game 4 victory. In the day's remaining games, the Celtics will try to bounce back against the Hawks after a Game 3 loss, and the Nuggets have the chance to become the second team to reach the second round as they go for a sweep over the Wolves on Sunday night.

The Atlanta Hawks bounced back from a disappointing start to the playoffs with a 130-122 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the teams' first-round series. No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in the NBA playoffs, and by avoiding that hold the Hawks kept their slim hopes of a comeback alive. 

The Los Angeles Clippers host the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 of the first-round matchup on Thursday night in the 2023 NBA playoffs. The Suns (45-37) finished the regular season as the No. 4 seed, while the Clippers (44-38) were right behind them in the fifth spot. The teams have been going back and forth all campaign long, splitting the four regular season matchups 2-2. Paul George (knee) remains out for the Clippers, while Cameron Payne (back) is questionable for the Suns. Kawhi Leonard (knee) has also been ruled out of Game 3 due to a knee sprain.

On Thursday Twitter began removing the checkmarks of verified accounts unless they paid for a Twitter Blue subscription, but NBA star LeBron James kept his blue check even though he previously said he would never pay for it. However, it turns out James may be getting a complimentary subscription.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard James Harden was ejected from the Game 3 win over the Brooklyn Nets Thursday night after hitting Royce O'Neale below the belt as he was driving to the basket. The officials gave Harden a flagrant 2 foul, which is an automatic ejection, forcing the Sixers guard to head back to the locker room at the end of the third quarter.

The 2023 NBA playoffs rolled on Wednesday night with a trio of Game 2s. Things started in Memphis, where the second-seeded Grizzlies topped the Lakers without the services of Ja Morant. There was another star injury to watch in Milwaukee, where Giannis Antetokounmpo missed Game 2 due to a back injury but the Bucks took care of business without him. Wednesday's action closes out in Denver, where the top-seeded Nuggets are hoping to cruise to another win against the eighth-seeded Timberwolves. 

SACRAMENTO -- From an outside perspective, the solution seems so simple. In the Golden State Warriors' Game 1 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, they were outscored by 14 points with Steph Curry on the bench. The Warriors lost by three.

From one perspective, the first weekend of the NBA playoffs was a chaotic mess. Most the 16 teams hadn't played in a week. Their opponents have used all of that time to game-plan against everything they've shown in the regular season. The pressure gets to some players and teams more than others. Team-wide strengths fade. Weaknesses are magnified. All eight opening round games were played within roughly a 36-hour period.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will aim for another upset victory when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Oklahoma City won its third straight game on Wednesday, keeping its season alive with a 123-118 win at New Orleans. Minnesota blew a 15-point lead in its 108-102 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday, but it covered the spread as an 8-point underdog. The winner of Friday's game earns a date with top-seeded Denver in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Rudy Gobert (back) and Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) are questionable for Minnesota, while Jaden McDaniels (hand) and Naz Reid (wrist) are out.