BOSTON: When the New York Knicks finally returned to the playoffs two years ago, the Boston Celtics let them hang around for only four games.

Now Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks are on the verge of beating Boston, and they want to do it just as quickly.

Anthony scored 26 points and the Knicks moved to the brink of their first playoff series victory in 13 years, routing the Celtics 90-76 on Friday night in Game 3 of the first-round series.

“It feels good to be sitting in this seat, this situation, to be sitting in the driver’s seat right now,” Anthony said. “So it’s just a matter of us just doing what we’ve got to do Sunday. We want to close the deal, we want to seal the deal.”

Quickly taking the crowd out of it in the first NBA game here since the Boston Marathon bombings, the Knicks built a 16-point halftime lead and now can take out the Celtics.

“That first quarter on the road, you’ve got to make sure you take that first punch and we did that,” Knicks veteran Jason Kidd said.

Raymond Felton added 15 points and 10 assists for the Knicks, who haven’t advanced in the playoffs since reaching the 2000 Eastern Conference finals. Game 4 is here Sunday afternoon.

“Guys are hungry,” Anthony said. “We really want this, we feel like it’s right there in the palm of our hands.”

They’ll have to hope they have J. R. Smith, who inexplicably threw an elbow right into Jason Terry’s face with 7:06 left and was thrown out of the game with a flagrant foul 2, an automatic ejection. The league office will review the play and can fine or suspend Smith.

Pablo Prigioni gave the Knicks a boost with three early 3-pointers as the Knicks positioned themselves to avenge their first-round sweep at the hands of the Celtics in 2011. Boston hasn’t been by swept since 2004, by Indiana.

The Knicks were also swept that year, by the Nets, as part of their NBA-record, 13-game postseason losing streak.

Jeff Green scored 21 points for the Celtics, who will try to become the first NBA team to win a series after trailing 3-0. They own the most titles in league history, but their present outlook is extremely bleak.

“I didn’t think we showed up not to play well,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought overall our effort was there, I thought we did lose our spirit early on.”

Spurs 120 Lakers 89: In Los Angeles, Tim Duncan had 26 points and nine rebounds as San Antonio took a commanding 3-0 lead and handed injury-depleted Los Angeles its worst home playoff loss in franchise history.

Tony Parker added 20 points and seven assists as the Spurs took control early and put themselves in position to sweep the series in Sunday’s Game 4 in Los Angeles.

The Lakers have not been swept in the first round of the playoffs since 1967.

Dwight Howard had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Pau Gasol had a triple-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists and second-year guards Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock scored 24 and 20 points, respectively, for the Lakers, who were forced to play without their top four backcourt players.

In addition to Kobe Bryant (Achilles), the Lakers were missing guards Steve Nash (back/hamstring), Steve Blake (hamstring) and Jodie Meeks (ankle).

Duncan, who turned 37 on Thursday, finished 12-of-16 and San Antonio shot a blistering 61.2 percent.

Warriors 110 Nuggets 108: Stephen Curry shook off a left ankle injury and collected 29 points and 11 assists to lead host Golden State to a 2-1 series lead over Denver.

Jarrett Jack added 23 points and Harrison Barnes and Carl Landry scored 19 apiece as the Warriors won their first home playoff game since 2007. They will try to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series on Sunday.

Ty Lawson recorded 35 points and 10 assists but had a crucial turnover in the final seconds as the Nuggets fell short. Corey Brewer scored 16 points and Kenneth Faried chipped in 15 in the setback.