The Detroit Pistons took a 1-0 lead in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 in front of their fans, and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder also won their first victory in the four-game winning streak, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 in their home stadium.
The Pistons won against the Cavaliers broke a streak of 12 consecutive defeats in the playoffs from this rival, which has lasted since the 2007 conference finals.
He led the hosts to victory Cade Cunningham with 23 points and seven assists, while Tobias Harris added 20 points. Duncan Robinson scored 19 points, and center Jalen Duren added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pistons are solid defensively forced the Cavs into 20 turnovers from which they scored 31 points, neutralizing the dangerous outside tandem consisting of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.
We knew what awaited us in this series and we are ready for the challenge. We did a great job of that tonightsaid Tobias Harris.
Mitchell scored 23 points, ending his streak of nine consecutive playoff series openers with 30 or more points. Harden scored 22 points, but also had seven turnovers.
First you look at yourself. Most of those mistakes are mine, Harden said, taking responsibility for the Game 1 loss in which Cleveland rallied from an 18-point deficit to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter.
With seven points in a row, Harden tied the game at 93-93 five and a half minutes before the end. However, Jalen Duren led Detroit to victory with a block and three consecutive dunks on assists from Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons will host the second game as well, which is scheduled for the night from Thursday to Friday (1:00 a.m. CET).
In the second meeting of the evening, Oklahoma City Thunder he convincingly won at home Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 to take a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
He led the current NBA champions to victory Chet Holmgren with 24 baskets, 12 rebounds and three blocks, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell scored 18 points each.
Although they ended up with a convincing victory and are still undefeated in this year’s playoffs, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was in no mood for praise.
A playoff win is never perfect. This was not an ideal matchbut we won and that’s the most important thingDaigneault said.
Weakened Lakers, who still are without the injured Luka Dončićthey kept the scoring plug until the end of the third quarter, although they were without Jarred Vanderbilt for this game, who suffered a dislocation of the little finger of his right hand in the second quarter and did not return to the game.
At the end of the third quarter, the home team reached a double-digit advantage (84-72), and at the beginning of the last part, with two three-pointers by Jared McCain, they went up to +19 and took the game into calm waters.
Against a team like this, there is not much room for error. We made too many tonightLakers coach JJ Redick said.
The visitors were led by LeBron James with 27 points. Rui Hachimura scored 18 points, while DeAndre Ayton had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Austin Reaves had a poor shooting night (3/16) and was held to just eight points.
The second game is scheduled for the night from Thursday to Friday (3:30 p.m.).
(Hina | Photo: Detroit Pistons)
