Spectacle and confirmation on the night of the NBA playoffs, where the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons successfully defended home-court advantage and took their respective series to 2-0 over the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
In Oklahoma City, the Thunder triumphed 125-107 over the Lakers, giving another signal of strength in these playoffs. Although Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was limited by foul trouble, the locals found solutions in collective play and dominated especially in the second half of the challenge.
The man of the evening was Chet Holmgren, author of 22 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Ajay Mitchell with 20 points and Jared McCain with 18 points off the bench also made important contributions.
The decisive moment came in the third period, when the Oklahoma City Thunder made a powerful 32-15 run without their leader on the floor, taking total control of the match and maintaining their perfect playoff run. For the Los Angeles Lakers, 31 points from Austin Reaves and 23 from LeBron James were not enough, with the Californians now forced to react in the next games.
Important victories also for the Detroit Pistons, who defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers with a score of 107-97 and recorded their fifth consecutive success in the playoffs. The team from Detroit was led by another excellent performance by Cade Cunningham, who finished the game with 25 points and 10 assists. In his support, Tobias Harris also shone with 21 points and Duncan Robinson with 17.
However, the challenge remained open until the end, as the Cleveland Cavaliers attempted a comeback in the fourth period. But the Pistons responded immediately with a decisive 10-2 run, closing the meeting and again protecting the home field. For the Cavaliers, 31 points from Donovan Mitchell and 22 from Jarrett Allen were not enough. In a night to forget, James Harden had a very poor performance, scoring only 10 points with a low shooting percentage and four turnovers. The series now shifts to Cleveland, where the Cleveland Cavaliers will look for a reaction to not further complicate their path to the playoffs.
