Starting 5: Thunder roll, Pistons rally to secure Game 1 wins

MotorCade jumpstarts the engine. Duren drives it home.

The Pistons close in crunch time for a 1-0 series lead in the East Semis.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Pistons Edge Cavs: Cade flips the switch, Detroit surges late to take Game 1 vs. Cleveland

Thunder Roll: SGA adjusts, Holmgren stars on both ends to claim series opener vs. Lakers

Defense Delivers: How Detroit & OKC imposed their identity in Game 1 wins

Wolves at Spurs: No task is too tall for Ant-Man as Wolves eye 2-0 lead in San Antonio

Sixers at Knicks: New York aims to extend record-setting Playoff dominance in Game 2

BUT FIRST … ⏰

The NBA Playoffs continue tonight with two Conference Semifinal showdowns on ESPN, as the Knicks and Wolves look to take 2-0 leads.

• 76ers at Knicks (7 ET, ESPN | Tap to Watch)
• Wolves at Spurs (9:30 ET, ESPN | Tap to Watch)

The First Round of the NBA Playoffs was the most-viewed in 33 years, averaging 4 million viewers per game across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and NBC/Peacock.

Game 7 between the Sixers & Celtics averaged 11 million viewers on NBC/Peacock – the most-watched First-Round Game 7 ever.

1. PISTONS TOP CAVS IN CLUTCH TIME FOR 1-0 SERIES LEAD

Detroit’s 18-point lead had vanished.

The score was tied at 93 with 5:28 left, and the Cavs were on an 11-0 run.

Then Cade Cunningham checked back in – and everything changed.

Pistons 111, Cavaliers 101: Detroit answered with an 18-8 closing burst, with Cunningham (23 pts, 7 ast) leading the charge while Tobias Harris (20 pts, 8 reb) added to a complete team effort, staving off Donovan Mitchell (23 pts), James Harden (22 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast) and the Cavs for a Game 1 win. | Recap

Cade Time: After trailing by 18 in the 1st half, the Cavs had cut it to 11 with 9:15 left. Then Harden caught fire, scoring nine straight points amid Cleveland’s game-tying run.

But just as an all-time scorer was taking over, Cade took control right back.

• One-Two Punch: Thirty-eight seconds after checking in, Cunningham broke the 93-93 tie by finding Jalen Duren (11 pts, 12 reb, 2 blk) for a run-halting slam
• Then another. And another. Making for three straight dimes for three straight Duren dunks, putting Detroit up 99-93
• Immediate Answer: When Mitchell trimmed the lead back down to five, Cunningham responded with a timely midrange pull-up, giving the Pistons a 103-96 edge with 2:45 left
• Door Slammed: They never looked back, as Harris and Daniss Jenkins (12 pts, 7 reb, 4 stl) combined for seven late points to seal it

All Cylinders: Duncan Robinson netted 19 points on five 3s, while Ausar Thompson (11 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast) stuffed the stat sheet as six Pistons finished in double figures.

But it started – and finished – with Cade.

• “He has a skill that is unique,” said Robinson. “A feel and a rhythm that is just hard to teach…
• “He understands that he needs all of us for us to be the best version of ourselves, and he’s the catalyst.”

Unshaken: Tuesday marked Detroit’s first East Semifinals appearance since 2008, while Cleveland is back for a third straight year.

But while the Cavs’ starters have made 40 combined Playoff appearances – compared to the Pistons’ 22 – it was Detroit that delivered in crunch time just as it has all year

• Time & Time Again: The Pistons finished the regular season with an NBA-best 27 clutch wins in 42 such games. Their 64.3% clutch win rate also led the East
• New Stage, Same Results: In the Playoffs, they already have three clutch wins – tied with the Wolves for the most of any team
• Refuse To Fold: Those three wins have all come in their last four games – starting in Game 5 of the First Round when they were down 3-1 vs. Orlando
• The Latest Proof: A late dub over a veteran Cavs squad that ranked 3rd in clutch wins this season, giving Detroit its fourth straight victory and a 1-0 series lead

“Understanding what the moment needs and what’s called for,” said J.B. Bickerstaff on what Detroit’s learned while facing elimination. “Then, having the poise and confidence to execute it …

“You understand how to close, how to finish … and then you grow belief that you can.”

Up Next: Detroit goes for a 2-0 series lead Thursday in Game 2 on its home floor (7 ET, Prime).

2. HOLMGREN, OKC FLEX VERSATILITY IN GAME 1 WIN OVER LAKERS

In 60 games played this season with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren led OKC in scoring seven times.

Last night, he led the team in scoring for the first time in his Playoff career.

Thunder 108, Lakers 90: Holmgren (24 pts, 12 reb, 3 blk) powered up to match his scoring high from this postseason, with SGA and AJ Mitchell adding 18 apiece to stay ahead of LeBron James (27 pts, 6 ast) and L.A. for a 1-0 series lead. | Recap

• Weather The Storm: OKC shook the rust off after a 7-0 Lakers start, five coming from LeBron in his highest-scoring Playoff 1st quarter (12 pts) since 2024
• Be The Storm: The Thunder scored the last five points of the 1st and the first five of the 2nd to go up by 10 (36-26) and stay in the driver’s seat for good
• “We were a little choppy, a little rusty tonight offensively,” Shai said. “We just stuck with it … guys stepped into the plays confidently.”

Los Angeles worked to make Gilgeous-Alexander a distributor with double-teams and zones, ending his 20+ point streak this season at 72 straight regular and postseason games.

“They’re obviously sending a lot of bodies at me … that means multiple people are open,” SGA said. “And trust my teammates from there.”

• Favorite Feed: Two of Shai’s six assists went to Holmgren for dunks, a 2nd-quarter find over the zone, and a transition lob on the second possession of the 2nd half
• “[Shai] did a great job of making the right play and getting off [the double-team] early,” said Holmgren. “So it was on us to be aggressive and make plays.”
• Growing Offense: Chet matched his second-highest Playoff scoring game, and is averaging a career-best 18.7 ppg this postseason
• “He’s kind of a bottomless pit when it comes to his work ethic,” coach Mark Daigneault said of Chet. “There’s no amount of basketball he can’t handle.”
• Don’t Forget The Defense: Holmgren & OKC held their opponent under 100 points for the second time this postseason and an NBA-best 9th time since the 2025 Playoffs. More on that below ⬇️

Up Next: The Thunder go for a 6-0 start to their title defense when they host Game 2 on Thursday (9:30 ET, Prime).

3. DEFENSE DELIVERS: DETROIT & OKC CLAMP DOWN FOR GAME 1 WINS

Both No. 1 seeds lead 1-0 in their Conference Semifinals, and both set the tone with their defining trait: defense.

En route to the top records in their respective conferences, OKC and Detroit finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, in defensive rating this season.

On Tuesday, those defenses dictated the game.

Detroit Dominance: The Pistons are the first team in 35 years to average 10+ steals and 6+ blocks in the same season. That disruption allowed them to jump on the Cavs early – before clamping down late.

• Defense To Offense: Detroit forced 19 takeaways on Monday, including 11 in the 1st half, as it outscored Cleveland 31-16 in points off turnovers
• Winning Stops: After the Cavs stormed back, the Pistons dug in, holding Cleveland to 3-of-10 shooting amid its 18-8 run, allowing just two field goals in the final 3:30
• Anchor & Energy: The close was captained by Duren, who came up with two huge blocks in the 4th, while Ausar Thompson (1 stl, 1 blk) and Daniss Jenkins (4 stl) were everywhere, all night long
• The Exclamation Mark? A forced miss led to a loose-ball board that sprung Jenkins free for a win-stamping slam
• “That’s who we are defensively,” said J.B. Bickerstaff on the finish. “The aim is to wear you down as much as we can.”
• The Result: Amid its four-game win streak, Detroit has allowed just 95.8 ppg and is an East-best +6.5 in the 4th quarter

Thunder Swarm: Also masters of wreaking havoc? OKC, which trailed only Detroit (16.9) for the most forced turnovers (16.7) this season – a key to its Game 1 win over Los Angeles.

• Up & Out: OKC forced 17 turnovers last night to spark its transition offense, outscoring the Lakers 16-11 in fastbreak points
• Closing Down: That included 10 takeaways in the 2nd half, where the Thunder held the Lakers to 37 points – their lowest scoring half of the season
• The Result: OKC is now 5-0 against the Lakers this season, while holding them to 95 ppg – 21.3 points below their regular-season average (116.3)
• “We just try to make people play outside their comfort zone,” said SGA postgame. “Whatever guys like to do, we like to take away from them.”

4. TONIGHT ON ESPN: WOLVES AIM TO TAKE 2-0 LEAD VS. SPURS

On Feb. 15, Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards stood toe-to-toe to tip off one of the game’s biggest events: the NBA All-Star Game.

“I’m 6 feet … he’s 8 feet!“ Edwards joked of finding himself in an opening jump vs. Wemby.

Then and now, the task remains tall.

Ant’s Wolves: No. 6 seed. Wemby’s Spurs: No. 2 seed.

But the first part of that viral All-Star quote still holds true in this West Semifinals matchup.

“Yeah, I’m trying to beat him,” said Edwards.

Confident and up for the challenge, Ant’s Wolves are hunting a 2-0 series lead over the Spurs tonight in Game 2 (9:30 ET, ESPN).

• Beyond His Years: Edwards is already playing in his fifth consecutive postseason. Now, he’s hoping to bring Minnesota back to the West Finals for the third straight year
• Fresh Face This is Wembanyama’s first postseason, but he’s already made an Alien-like impact, including a Playoff-record 12 blocks against Minnesota in Game 1

That was Edwards’ return to action after missing Games 5 and 6 of the First Round with a knee injury. He was quick to make his presence felt.

• Ant-Man Returns: The 6th-year guard shot 8-for-13 en route to 18 points – a number topped only by Julius Randle’s 21 – while six Wolves scored in double figures
• “I forgot how good he was, actually,” said coach Chris Finch. “He did a really good job of not pushing and forcing things, even though he knew he was on a minutes restriction.”

Landing the first punch in a Playoff series hasn’t been hard for Minnesota – it’s something this team excels at.

• Road Warriors: The Timberwolves boast four Game 1 wins on the road dating back to 2021-22, the most of any team in the NBA
• Standing Tall: On Monday, they held the Spurs to 27.8% shooting from 3 and 44.8% from the field, their worst and 2nd-worst marks of these Playoffs

Still, San Antonio can even the series with a victory tonight.

Dylan Harper believes more is in store for Wembanyama, even after a game in which he became the youngest player in franchise Playoff history to record a triple-double.

“For him, it’s another building block and building stone on just how good he can truly be on offense and defense,” Harper said. “Next game is going to be even better, because that’s the type of guy he is.”

5. ALSO ON ESPN: SCORCHING KNICKS SURGE INTO GAME 2 VS. SIXERS

Pace.

Spacing.

Paint touches.

Quick decisions.

Ball reversals.

This was coach Mike Brown’s offensive wishlist for his first year in New York.

“If you get those things and you know how to play, it doesn’t matter what you do … it’s gonna be hard to defend,” Brown said in October. “Something different is going to come every time.”

After Monday’s Playoff-record third straight win by 25+ points, it sounded like the Knicks’ offense had reached that point:

• “It’s a lot of fun,” said Brown. “It doesn’t really matter what you call or who initiates the action, because guys are trying to play the right way.”
• “We’re willing to sacrifice,” Josh Hart said. “When we do that, we’re playing our best basketball.”
• Dive Deeper: The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III called it “basketball nirvana.”

Tonight (7 ET, ESPN), the Knicks aim to extend one of the most dominant stretches in Playoff history as they host the Sixers in Game 2 of the East Semifinals.

• On To The Next: In Games 5 and 6 against Atlanta, and the opener vs. Philly, New York averaged 134.3 ppg on 59.7% shooting, with 43.4% from 3. That all led to a three-game Playoff-record +39.7 point differential
• Potent Pairing: In the streak, Jalen Brunson is averaging 30.3 ppg on 62.3 FG% and 41.2 3P%, while OG Anunoby’s shooting splits (76.7/72.7, 21.3 ppg) suggest every spot on the floor looks good to him right now
• Historic Spree: Anunoby joins Kevin Johnson (1995) as the only players to ever average 20+ ppg on 60 FG% and 55 3P% through the first seven games of the Playoffs in NBA history

Quick Decisions: New York ranks 3rd in transition scoring (23.4 ppg), helping create 34 assists Monday, its most in a Playoff game since 1990

But the opposing Sixers know how to flip a 7-game series.

• Defense First: After a 31-point loss in Game 1 against Boston, Philly rebounded with its first of four wins in which it held the Celtics to 100 points or less
• “More physicality,” Paul George said of the Sixers’ needed adjustments. “We brought that in the last series, we gotta bring that to this series.”

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