Nuggets knock off Lakers

Ty Lawson scored 25 points and the Denver Nuggets raced to an early 24-point lead on their way to a 99-84 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in Game 3 of their first-round series.

JaVale McGee had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, who will try to even the best-of-seven series at two games each on Sunday night at the Pepsi Center.

Kobe Bryant finished with 22 points on 7-of-23 shooting for the Lakers and Andrew Bynum had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Celtics 90, Hawks 84: Rajon Rondo had a triple-double with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists to lead Boston over visiting Atlanta to give the Celtics a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Game 4 is Sunday night in Boston.

Ray Allen returned after missing almost a month and scored 13 points in 38 minutes. Joe Johnson scored 29 points for Atlanta.

76ers 79, Bulls 74: Former Washington Husky Spencer Hawes scored 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and hit the go-ahead jumper late in the fourth quarter to help Philadelphia rally to beat visiting Chicago and take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.

Hawes scored 10 clutch points in the fourth to give the eighth-seeded Sixers the surprising series lead.

Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Already playing the rest of the series without reigning MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls got another scare in the third quarter when Joakim Noah left with a sprained left ankle. Noah, who scored 12 points, returned in the fourth quarter and mostly hobbled around the court.