ATLANTA (AP):

The Atlanta Hawks breathed life into their long-shot play-off hopes with a 102-93 win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night that cut their National Basketball Association (NBA) first-round play-off series deficit to 2-1.

High-flying Josh Smith scored 27 points for the Hawks, who recorded their first play-off win since 1999.

Showing much better ball movement and a willingness to run with the Celtics, the Hawks improved from 10 assists in Game 2 to 28 on Saturday. Game four is on today in Atlanta.

In Denver, Los Angeles took a 3-0 lead in their first-round series against flustered Denver, winning 102-84.

Must-win game

Game four is tonight and the Nuggets must win to keep the series alive. Kobe Bryant scored 22 points for the Lakers, who took an 83-64 lead into the fourth quarter and never looked back.

In Toronto, Rashard Lewis had 27 points and 13 rebounds to lead Orlando to a 106-94 scoreline and 3-1 series lead over Toronto.

Lewis went 10-for-19 from the field. The Magic made four three-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished 11-for-29 from beyond the arc.

Dwight Howard added 19 points and 16 boards for the third-seeded Magic. The Raptors now face elimination in Game 5 today at Orlando.

Jazz 86, Rockets 82

In Salt Lake City, Deron Williams scored eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter as Utah beat Houston 86-82 for a 3-1 series lead.

The Rockets host game five tomorrow and need a win to keep the series going.

Houston cut a 16-point third quarter deficit to a point and made a great push at the end, scoring two three-pointers in the final minute to get back within two but could not get closer.