LeBron James helped the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 127-97 as they took a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semi-final.
James did not take a shot from the field in the first quarter but went on to score 21 points.
Anthony Davis registered 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers.
Jimmy Butler returned for the Miami Heat as they won 105-86 against the New York Knicks and took a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final.
Butler, who missed game two of the best-of-seven series with an ankle injury, scored 28 points, making nine of 21 shots from the floor and achieving 10 for 11 from the free-throw line.
The Heat and the Knicks next play at 00:30 BST on Tuesday, while the Lakers and the Warriors, who are defending champions, will play the fourth game of their play-off series at 03:00 on the same day.
“We wanted to get back to our roots, and defending and guarding,” said Davis after victory for the Lakers in game three.
“This is a tough team to guard but we know that we can do it and we did it well tonight, holding them to 97 points.”
He added: “It’s a battle. Two teams that want it and can score and can give each other a beat down any given night.
“We know they’re going to come out with a lot of firepower trying not to go down 3-1. We’ve got to have the mindset we had tonight.”
