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May 11 (UPI) -- The New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors each staved off elimination in their NBA playoff series, with respective wins over the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. Each of those series now will be at least six games. Guard Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 38 points and logged nine rebounds and seven assists in the Knicks' 112-103 win over the Heat on Wednesday in New York. Game 6 of the best-of-seven game series will be Friday in Miami.
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"In an elimination game, everything matters," Brunson told reporters. "You can't really take anything for granted and you can't take plays off. All it comes down to is one possession at a time and being together."
The Knicks, who scored just 14 points in the first quarter, led by as many as 19, but had to fend off a late Heat rally to secure their Game 5 victory.
The Heat led by as many as 10 points early on, but let the Knicks come back into the game before the late effort.
"This was a game of runs," said Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who scored 19 points. "They did what they were supposed to do. They played desperate.
"They played hard and made shots, that always helps. I think whenever we get a lead, we gotta build on that lead. ... We gotta get back home and protect our home court."
The Heat outscored the Knicks 24-14 over the first 12 minutes. The Knicks started the second quarter with an 18-2 run. Brunson scored 14 in the quarter, when the Knicks outscored the Heat 36-23. They led 50-47 lead at halftime.
The Knicks went on a 23-5 run in the third quarter, pushing their lead to 73-54. Forwards Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett scored a dozen points apiece in the quarter. Brunson chipped in 10 points in the frame and the Knicks carried an 84-74 lead into the fourth.
The Heat went on a 9-0 run early in the final quarter, cutting the deficit to 92-88. The score got tighter later in the frame, when the Heat cut the lead to two with 2:37 remaining. The Knicks outscored the Heat 9-2 for the remainder of the game to secure the win.
Randle and Barrett scored 26 and 24 points, respectively, for the Knicks. Heat center Bam Adebayo logged 18 points. Heat forward Duncan Robinson scored 17 points off the bench, including five 3-pointers. Guard Max Strus scored 14 points in the loss.
The No. 8 Heat will host the No. 5 Knicks at 7:30 p.m. EDT Friday in Miami. The winner of the series will face the No. 2 Boston Celtics or No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals. The 76ers lead that series 3-2.
Later Wednesday, star guard Stephen Curry scored a game-high 27 points to lead the Warriors to a 121-106 victory over the Lakers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Warriors made 51.1% of their shots and led by as many as 18 points.
The Lakers will host the Warriors in Game 6 on Friday in Los Angeles.
"The fact that we can control a game from the jump the way that we did, handle that run the way we did and close out the fourth quarter strong was exactly how we expect to play," Curry said.
Curry made 12 of 24 field goals overall, but was just 3 of 11 from 3-point range. Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins and center Draymond Green chipped in 25 and 20 points, respectively.
Lakers forward LeBron James and center Anthony Davis scored 25 and 23 points in the loss.
The Warriors started the night with a 12-3 run. The Lakers answered with a 15-5 run and cut the deficit to two points with 1:17 remaining in the frame. Davis scored 13 over the first 12 minutes, but the Warriors carried a 32-28 edge into the second.
James, who scored 13 in the second, gave the Lakers their first lead 55 seconds into the quarter. The Warriors outscored the Lakers 38-31 in the frame and led 70-59 at halftime.
The Warriors opened the third with a 9-2 run, pushing their advantage to 18. The Lakers ended the frame with a 7-2 edge, cutting the deficit to 11 to start the fourth. Each team scored 23 points in the third quarter.
The Lakers used another 7-2 run to cut the deficit to nine with 5:25 remaining, but did not get closer down the stretch. The Warriors outscored the Lakers 28-24 over the final 12 minutes.
Warriors forward Gary Payton II scored 13 points in the win. Guards Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell scored 15 points apiece in the loss. Fellow Lakers guard Dennis Schroder chipped in 14 points off the Lakers bench.
The No. 7 Lakers will host the No. 6 Warriors in Game 6 at 10 p.m. Friday in Los Angeles. The winner of the series will face the No. 1 Denver Nuggets or No. 4 Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals. The Nuggets hold a 3-2 lead in that series.
The 76ers will host the Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Philadelphia. The Suns will host the Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals at 10 p.m. Thursday in Phoenix.
