LeBron briefly gave the Lakers hope, but without Luka Doncic, he had insufficient support against the reigning champions. Unnecessary mistakes led to the Cavs’ opening loss against the Detroit Pistons.
The Lakers briefly harbored dreams of an upset against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1, but their offensive firepower quickly dwindled without Doncic. In the East, the Cavaliers managed to keep pace with the Magic conquerors from Detroit for longer, but were plagued by turnovers of historic proportions.
Oklahoma City Thunder (W1) — Los Angeles Lakers (W4) 108:90 — Series: 1-0
The Lakers allowed themselves a fleeting moment of optimism, starting the game with a 7-0 lead thanks to five points from LeBron James. However, the reigning champions, still shaking off some rust after over a week’s break, soon began to assert their dominance. In their four regular-season matchups, the Thunder had defeated the Lakers by an average of 29.3 points, but on this night, they settled for an 18-point victory.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also played a more restrained role. With his 20-point regular-season streak only applicable to that part of the season, the MVP scored 18 points (8/15 FG, 2/3 FT) and dished out 6 assists. However, SGA also committed an uncharacteristic 7 turnovers. Teammate Chet Holmgren defended his point guard, stating, «He made the right plays all night. Turnovers will show up on the stat sheet, but they shouldn’t be there.»
Holmgren also stepped up as OKC’s leading scorer, contributing 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks. His fellow big man, Isaiah Hartenstein, took only three shots but made them all, filling the box score with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Western Conference’s top seed was once again without Jalen Williams. Ajay Mitchell started in his place and performed admirably (18 PTS, 4 AST). From the bench, Jared McCain sent a message to Philadelphia, heating up from downtown (12 PTS, 4/5 3FG). As a team, the Thunder shot 43 percent from beyond the arc.
The Los Angeles Lakers, on the other hand, only managed 33 percent from three-point range. The primary culprit was Austin Reaves (0/5 3FG), who struggled throughout the game and was the only Lakers starter to not score in double figures (8 PTS, 3/16 FG). He also accounted for nearly a quarter of the Lakers’ excessive 17 turnovers (four).
Without the injured Luka Doncic and with limited support from Reaves, LeBron attempted to carry the Lakers’ offense single-handedly. The «King» started strong in the first quarter (12 PTS) and finished with an efficient 27 points (12/17 FG, 3/6 3FG), 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. When asked about the Lakers’ general offensive struggles, James offered a logical explanation: «We usually have a guy who scores 37 points a game.»
His best support in Game 1 came from Rui Hachimura with 18 points. Deandre Ayton added a double-double (10 PTS, 11 REB), and Marcus Smart chipped in with 12 points. Head Coach JJ Redick conceded the game with 1:45 remaining, bringing his entire bench onto the court – except for Maxi Kleber, who did not play a single minute. In upcoming games, Jarred Vanderbilt may not be able to participate at all after suffering a severe finger injury.
The next game is scheduled for Friday morning (03:30 CEST).
Detroit Pistons (E1) — Cleveland Cavaliers (E4) 111:101 — Series: 1-0
Both teams had played a Game 7 just two days prior, but the Pistons appeared slightly fresher from the outset, holding a brief 18-point lead in the first quarter. The Cavaliers gradually found their rhythm, narrowing the deficit to 46:59 by halftime and coming within three points late in the third quarter. However, Ron Holland III, who was largely ignored in the rotation against the Magic after Game 2, hit a buzzer-beater for Detroit.
In the final quarter, Cleveland quickly found themselves trailing by double digits again. However, the Cavs showed resilience, and James Harden’s personal 7-0 run tied the game at 93-93 midway through the period. Jalen Duren then blocked Harden’s potential go-ahead shot and responded with a personal 6-0 run. The Pistons had found their formula: Cade Cunningham found Duren near the basket three times in a row, and the center dunked on each occasion. The Cavaliers could not recover.
Cunningham orchestrated the Detroit offense all night (23 PTS, 7 AST), while Duren earned a double-double with diligent work on the boards (12 REB, 7 OR) and 11 points. The Pistons outscored the Cavs by 19 points during the 30 minutes the co-stars shared the court.
Tobias Harris also provided offensive help, scoring 20 points. However, after his strong performance in the decisive game against Orlando, the veteran had lost some of his touch from downtown (1/5 3FG). This was not the case for Duncan Robinson, who rediscovered his shooting rhythm, hitting five three-pointers en route to 19 points. Ausar Thompson (11) and Cunningham’s backup, Daniss Jenkins (12), also scored in double figures.
For the Cavaliers, the slow start was partly attributed to Jarrett Allen, who was often out of sorts and picked up three fouls within the first six minutes. Due to foul trouble, the big man, who had recorded LeBron James-esque statistics in Game 7 against the Raptors, played just over 18 minutes (2 PTS, 3 REB).
The star backcourt of Harden (22 PTS) and Donovan Mitchell (23 PTS) delivered solid scoring. However, Harden struggled with his shot (6/15 FG, 1/7 3FG) and turnovers (7 TO). Overall, the Cavaliers committed significantly more turnovers than the Pistons (19:11), which proved to be the decisive factor on a night with nearly equal shooting percentages. After eight playoff games, the Cavs have accumulated 141 turnovers – the most in the NBA since the play-by-play era began in 1996-1997.
Dennis Schröder contributed diligently from the bench (4 TO), adding 9 points (3/6 FG) and 3 assists in approximately 16 minutes. The most successful scorer off the bench was Max Strus with 19 points, while Evan Mobley narrowly missed a double-double among the starters (14 PTS, 9 REB).
While the Cavaliers had to contend with the loss and the end of Mitchell’s record streak of nine consecutive 30-point games to open a series, the Pistons celebrated the end of a dismal streak: after twelve consecutive playoff losses (a shared NBA record), they finally defeated the Cavaliers again, their last such victory coming in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007. Their next chance for a win comes in Game 2 on Friday morning (01:00 CEST).
NBA Playoffs 2026: Second Round Standings Overview
| Conference | Matchup | Stand |
|---|---|---|
| Western | Thunder (1) — Lakers (4) | 1-0 |
| Western | Spurs (2) — Timberwolves (6) | 0-1 |
| Eastern | Pistons (1) — Cavaliers (4) | 1-0 |
| Eastern | Knicks (3) — Sixers (7) | 1-0 |