Atlanta's CJ McCollum celebrates during the Hawks' Game 3 win over the Knicks on Thursday night in Atlanta. (AP photo)

ATLANTA(AP) — CJ McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12.5 seconds left to ruin New York’s night again, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead over the Knicks in their first-round playoff series on Thursday night.

After starring in a Game 2 stunner at Madison Square Garden, McCollum got the ball with his team trailing by a point. He came through again from 15 feet, finishing with 23 points.

The Hawks led nearly the entire game, building an 18-point lead in the first half. But New York rallied for a 108-105 edge on Jalen Brunson’s three-point play with 1:03 remaining.

After Jalen Johnson, who led the Hawks with 24 points, rolled in a shot, Josh Hart missed a 3-pointer for the Knicks. New York got the offensive rebound, but couldn’t get off a shot ahead of the 24-second clock.

The Knicks failed to get off a shot at the end, either, as Jonathan Kuminga knocked the ball away from Brunson and the horn sounded.

Kuminga had a huge night for the Hawks off the bench, finishing with 21 points.

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 29 points, Brunson had 26 and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 21. It wasn’t enough for New York.

Game 4 is Saturday in Atlanta.

McCollum picked up were he left off at Madison Square Garden, hitting a step-back jumper beyond the arc for Atlanta’s first points. He had 16 by the halftime break.

McCollum showed off more than his offensive skills. After Hart scooped up a loose ball and drove toward the hoop with only the Atlanta guard to beat, McCollum blocked the shot and sent the ball off Hart’s foot to give possession back to the Hawks.

The Hawks outscored the Knicks 27-12 over the final seven minutes of the opening quarter, turning the game in their favor with an 11-0 spurt and closing the period with three straight 3-pointers. The first was by little-used center Mouhamed Gueye, left wide open by the New York defense, followed by two straight from backup forward Kuminga to send the State Farm Arena crowd into a frenzy.

But, with the Hawks on the verge of blowing the game open late in the first half, New York suddenly came to life. The Knicks closed the the period on a 12-2 run, cutting the deficit back into single figures. Atlanta went to the locker room with a 58-50 lead.

RAPTORS 126, CAVALIERS 104

Scottie Barnes set career playoff highs with 33 points and 11 assists, RJ Barrett added a career playoff-high 33 points and the Toronto Raptors snapped a 12-game playoff losing streak against the Cavaliers.

Collin Murray-Boyles had 22 points, Jamison Battle scored all of his 14 points in the final quarter and Brandon Ingram added 12 as the Raptors cut Cleveland’s lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series to 2-1.

Game 4 is Sunday afternoon in Toronto.

“We knew we needed everybody for this win and you’ve seen some big performances from everybody,” Barnes said. “It just goes to show how resilient, how bad we wanted it. We went out there and tried to do whatever it took.”

Barnes had five rebounds and shot 11 for 17, making 3 of 5 from distance and going 8 for 10 at the line. He had three fouls at halftime but didn’t pick up another the rest of the way.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

TIMBERWOLVES 113, NUGGETS 96

Jaden McDaniels and the Minnesota Timberwolves flexed even more of their defensive muscle against the flagging Denver Nuggets, seizing a 2-1 lead in the first-round NBA playoff series.

McDaniels had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Ayo Dosunmu added 25 points and nine assists off the bench, and Donte DiVincenzo had 15 points and four steals for the surging Timberwolves.

Rudy Gobert followed his inspired Game 2 effort against Nikola Jokic by stifling the three-time MVP again on an ugly 7-for-26 shooting night, and the Timberwolves established a postseason franchise record by allowing the Nuggets just 11 points in the tone-setting first quarter.

Jokic finished with a too-little-too-late 27 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, who were missing Aaron Gordon to a calf injury and all of the energy he provides from his starting power forward spot. Jamal Murray had 16 points on just 5-for-17 shooting.

McDaniels, who flatly answered a question about Minnesota’s offensive strategy after Game 2 by labeling all of Denver’s players “bad defenders,” proved to be more prescient than reckless with his assessment. Rather than irking the Nuggets, he had himself and his teammates fired up as the series shifted to their home court.