Minnesota and Atlanta snatched victories on the courts of Denver and New York on Monday to tie their respective first-round NBA playoff series 1-1, while Cleveland took advantage of home-court advantage to pull ahead 2-0 against Toronto.

The Timberwolves devour the Nuggets

Despite a 19-point deficit from the start of the game, thanks to 30 points from Anthony Edwards and a controlled end to the game, the Minnesota Timberwolves managed to win 119-114 at the Denver Nuggets and thus bring back a point from their first two away games after an opening defeat (116-105).

Trailing in the first quarter, the Wolves reached halftime tied with the Nuggets (64-64) before taking control in the second half.

Besides Edwards' valuable points, Minnesota was able to count on Julius Randle (24 pts) and Donte DiVicenzo (16 pts).

On the other side, the efforts of Jamal Murray (30 pts) and Nikola Jokic (24 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists) were not enough.

"We did what we wanted to do," commented Randle. "When you start a series away from home, you're looking to get a point. We did that and now we go home and have two days to recover physically."

The next two games in this Western Conference series are scheduled for April 23 and 25 in Minneapolis.

The Hawks upset the Knicks

In the East, the New York Knicks seemed poised to secure a second point in two games on their home court (initial victory 113-102) by posting a 14-point lead in the third quarter.

But the final quarter went in Atlanta's favor, as they snatched a 107-106 victory and an important point on the road before hosting the next two games of the best-of-seven series on April 23 and 25.

"It's not a series until we've won an away game, and now we have one," CJ McCollum said happily. "We're tough, we're young, but we're gaining experience every day. We didn't play our best basketball tonight, but we gave ourselves some chances and we did enough to win."

McCollum particularly stood out with 32 points for the Hawks who turned the game around in the final period by going on an 11-0 run that gave them a 103-100 lead with less than two minutes left.

In a nail-biting finish, Jalen Brunson tied the game with a three-pointer (103-103), but McCollum put the Hawks back in front with a perfectly executed shot before a Jalen Johnson dunk gave Atlanta some breathing room (107-103) with ten seconds left. Another three-pointer from Brunson and a final buzzer-beater from Mikal Bridges kept Madison Square Garden on the edge of their seats until the very end, but Atlanta ultimately emerged victorious.

The Riders in Control

With a combined 58 points from Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, the Cleveland Cavaliers achieved their inaugural home double: after a first victory 126-113, the Cavs again beat the Toronto Raptors (115-105) and lead their series 2-0.

Too strong for the Raptors, the Cavaliers led from start to finish. Mitchell scored 30 points, including four three-pointers, and Harden finished with 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

The understanding between these two players, even though Harden (36 years old) only arrived in Cleveland in February following a trade, is becoming more and more visible and effective.

"Whether it's passing, rebounding, or defense, when you have two guys chasing the same thing, it's definitely a positive thing," Mitchell commented.

These two Eastern Conference teams will meet Thursday in Toronto for the first of two games at the Raptors' home arena.