Anthony Edwards has stepped up, making a point to LeBron James as he helped the Minnesota Timberwolves put the Los Angeles Lakers on the brink of NBA playoffs first-round elimination in a thriller.

Jaden McDaniels converted a three-point play with 39.5 seconds left for the lead and stole the ensuing inbounds pass from James, leading a rally by the Timberwolves for a 116-113 win in Minneapolis that put them up 3-1 in the series.

Three-time All-Star Edwards, who had 43 points, nine rebounds and six assists as he led Minnesota in scoring for the first time in the series, drew a foul on James during a drive to the lane with 10 seconds left and hit both free throws.

With James and fellow superstar Luka Doncic well-defended along the arc, the ball went to Austin Reaves in the corner for the tying attempt that rimmed out and was rebounded by McDaniels at the buzzer.

Julius Randle added 25 points and McDaniels had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who trailed by 12 points late in the third quarter.

Doncic bounced back from a bad stomach bug with 38 points on 13-for-28 shooting. He made just one of six shots from the floor in the fourth quarter.

Forty-year-old James had 27 points and 12 rebounds for his 144th career double-double in the playoffs, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain for the third-most in history behind Tim Duncan (164) and Magic Johnson (157).

He went 15 for 18 from the free-throw line, determined to get to the rim in what was the best game by the Lakers offence in the series, but he was scoreless in the fourth.

"We haven't lost nothing yet," Doncic said. "It's still the first one to four wins, and we've just got to still to believe."

In Detroit, officials admitted a crucial officiating error as the New York Knicks beat the Pistons 94-93 to take a 3-1 lead and put the hosts on the brink of elimination.

Detroit's Tim Hardaway Jr. was bumped by Josh Hart while attempting a three-point shot with less than a second remaining.

If a foul had been called - as the referee crew chief later said it should have been - Hardaway would have gone to the free-throw line for three attempts to take the lead.

Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 27 points for the Knicks while Jalen Brunson had 32 points and 11 assists.

Detroit's Cade Cunningham had 25 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first playoff triple-double, but he missed two shots and turned the ball over in the final 1:07.

In Milwaukee, the sharp-shooting Indiana Pacers sent Giannis Antetokoumpo and his Milwaukee Bucks to the brink, winning 129-103 for a 3-1 series lead.

The Buck's woes were compounded by a concerning lower leg injury to star Damian Lillard after just six minutes.

The Pacers led 15-12 at the time of Lillard's departure and seized control without him. Indiana shot 60.2 per cent from the floor, and eight Pacers scored in double figures.

In Orlando, Jayson Tatum had 37 points and 14 rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 21 points and 11 rebounds as defending champions Boston took a 3-1 lead in their series with a 107-98 win over the Magic.