Thunder, Pistons Win Game 1s of Conference Semis

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 on Tuesday night at Paycom Center, taking a 1-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series, while the Detroit Pistons held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 at Little Caesars Arena to grab a 1-0 edge in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

In the Western matchup, Chet Holmgren paced the defending champion Thunder with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, and Ajay Mitchell added 18 points each as Oklahoma City shot 49.4 percent from the field and made 13 of 30 three-pointers. The Thunder's defense limited the Lakers to their lowest playoff total since 2021, forcing 17 turnovers and holding Los Angeles to 41.7 percent shooting.

The Lakers, the fourth seed after upsetting Houston in the first round, started with a 7-0 lead but trailed after the first quarter at 31-26. Oklahoma City extended the advantage to 61-53 at halftime and pulled away in the fourth, leading by as many as 15 late. LeBron James scored a game-high 27 points for Los Angeles despite the 41-year-old's strong first-round performance. Rui Hachimura added 18 points, Marcus Smart had 12 and...