Stephen Curry scored 32 points as the Golden State Warriors held off a ferocious fourth quarter fightback from the Sacramento Kings to secure a series-leveling 126-125 victory in the NBA playoffs.

Harrison Barnes almost snatched victory for Sacramento on the buzzer only to see his long-range effort bounce off the rim to leave the NBA champions celebrating a result that leaves them tied at 2-2 in the best-of-seven series after losing games one and two.

Curry breathed a sigh of relief after two uncharacteristic blunders almost proved costly in a frenetic finale at the Chase Center as the Warriors looked to close out victory.

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The Warriors talisman missed a wide-open three-pointer with his team leading 126-121 that could have put Golden State eight points clear with less than a minute remaining.

Curry then compounded that rare miss by erroneously calling a time out when the Warriors had none left, earning a technical foul and allowing Sacramento’s Malik Monk to make it a four-point game with a free throw.

Doris Burke called it an “incredible” development in commentary for ESPN while Mark Jones said he “would have never imagined” Curry making such an error.

A superb De’Aaron Fox three-pointer from 28 feet then left Sacramento within one at 126-125, and when Curry missed another floater, the Kings had a chance to win it only to see Barnes’ late effort bounce out.

“It was kind of sloppy not knowing how many timeouts we had left, and a couple of dagger shots didn’t go in — but we did what we needed to do defensively in those last 10 seconds,” a relieved Curry said afterwards.

“We’ve protected home court, and now we move on.”

Barnes’ late miss was the final act of a thrilling battle between the Western Conference rivals that saw the lead change hands no fewer than 19 times as momentum ebbed and flowed throughout.

Golden State looked to have turned the screw decisively in the third quarter, outscoring the Kings 37-23 to start the fourth with a 10-point advantage.

Sacramento however came surging back with a 7-0 run to start the final quarter and only a handful of points separated the two teams in a tense finale before the Warriors held on.

Curry led the Warriors scoring with 32 points while Klay Thompson added 26, including four three-pointers, and Jordan Poole 22.

Andrew Wiggins added 18 points while Draymond Green, returning after suspension, had 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists off the bench.

Fox produced a dazzling performance for Sacramento with 38 points while Keegan Murray added 23 and Monk 16.

Game five of the series takes place in Sacramento on Thursday [AEST].

WOLVES KEEP SEASON ALIVE DESPITE LATE COLLAPSE

Anthony Edwards scored 34 points, including a three-point dagger with 11.5 seconds left, as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 114-108 in overtime Sunday to stay alive in the NBA playoffs.

Western Conference top seeds Denver, led by 43 points from reigning two-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, closed regulation on a 12-0 run to force overtime.

But they were out-scored 18-12 in the extra session at the Target Center in Minneapolis as the Timberwolves pulled within 3-1 in the series.

Minnesota still face a daunting task — no NBA team has come back from 3-0 down to win a best-of-seven series.

“See you in Denver, we’re going back,” said Edwards, whose 16 third-quarter points keyed a Timberwolves charge that carried them to a 12-point lead midway through the fourth.

Mike Conley added 19 points for Minnesota. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17 points with 11 rebounds and Rudy Gobert added 14 points and 15 rebounds as the Timberwolves withstood another big night from Jokic.

The Serbian star matched his playoff scoring high and added 11 rebounds and six assists.

The teams swapped the lead four times in overtime, but Nuggets coach Michael Malone said too many defensive lapses in the extra session doomed his team.

“You hold them to 16 points in the fourth quarter, then (they have) 18 in five minutes,” Malone said. “That’s the hardest thing to stomach about this game is that when the game was on the line, we were unwilling and unable to get the necessary stops.”

CAVS ON BRINK OF EXIT AS BRUNSON EXPOSES DALLAS BLUNDER AGAIN

Look away, Dallas fans.

Former Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson scored 29 points as the New York Knicks took a commanding 3-1 series lead with a 102-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA playoffs on Monday [AEST].

Brunson drained five three-pointers and finished with six assists and six rebounds to electrify a raucous Madison Square Garden.

The result leaves the Knicks needing just one win from three games to advance past the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2013.

It was also yet another reminder of what could have been for the Mavericks, who let Brunson walk in free agency last summer.

Dallas owner Mark Cuban earlier this month claimed the Mavericks did not have a chance to negotiate with Brunson before he signed a four-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks.

In fact, Cuban shifted the blame onto Brunson’s father Rick, claiming things “went south” when he took over the contract negotiations.

Although Jalen Brunson revealed last month in an interview with Bleacher Report that he wanted to stay put and would have done so for half of what he signed with the Knicks for.

“There were two times that I thought we had offers on the table before the season, and then around, I think December or January, they looked the other way,” Brunson said.

“They had every right in the world to do so. I don’t blame them for making any business decisions. That’s on them.

“… I wanted that role of being with the Mavericks for the long haul of my career,” Brunson said. “I truly loved that place.”

The Mavericks could have kept Brunson for $55 million ($A82m) over four years but instead lost the guard, later needing to make up for the mistake by trading for Kyrie Irving.

Now Brunson is showing just what the Mavericks are missing out on and on the biggest stage, leading the Knicks in points, assists and steals this playoffs.

“Jalen Brunson, still, after this whole season, underrated,” Michael Wilbon said on ESPN last week.

“If you are the Dallas Mavericks front office, and you’re watching any of this, you have to just feel stupid. To let that kid go, just entering the prime of his career, just ramping up. That’s amazing. He is tremendous.”

New York, which scored a dominant 99-79 victory in game three, looked poised for another big win after roaring to a 15-point lead in the second quarter.

But after the Knicks led by nine points at half-time, Cleveland fought back with a big third quarter, outscoring the hosts 26-19.

That helped the Cavs sneak into a narrow lead late in the third, but a sustained rally by the Knicks in the fourth settled a pulsating contest.

Brunson was one of four players in double figures with R.J. Barrett providing offensive support with 26 points.

Josh Hart added 19 while Mitchell Robinson chipped in with 12 points and 11 rebounds to leave the Knicks firmly on course for an Eastern Conference semi-finals showdown with either Milwaukee or Miami.

Darius Garland led the Cleveland scoring with 23 points but Donovan Mitchell had a game to forget after finishing with just 11 points. The Cavs playmaker was restricted to just two points in the second half.

The series now heads back to Cleveland for game five.

CELTICS ON THE BRINK OF GENTLEMAN’S SWEEP

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics moved within a victory of advancing, downing Atlanta 129-121.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 31 points apiece for the Celtics, each delivering a dunk in the final minute as the Celtics thwarted the Hawks’ final rally bid.

Hawks star Trae Young finished with a game-high 35 points and handed out 14 assists.

But Boston stepped up their defensive intensity and had an answer for every Atlanta run, never trailing after the first quarter.

Brown got off to a slow start, making just one of his first seven shots. Then he got rid of the protective mask he’s worn since suffering a facial fracture in February and made 11 of 15.

“Maybe it was all in my head,” Brown said. “I took it off and started to turn things around a little bit.”