NBA playoff results and takeaways: Pistons hold on vs. Knicks, win first playoff game since 2008

Monday’s NBA playoff slate featured two dramatic series-tying games, as the LA Clippers narrowly beat the Denver Nuggets, and the Detroit Pistons held off the New York Knicks.

Despite another Nikola Jokić triple-double, a chippy game in Denver ended with a 105-102 victory for Kawhi Leonard and the No. 5 Clippers over the No. 4 Nuggets to knot the series at 1-1. The Clippers host Game 3 Thursday night.

Earlier in the night, the No. 6 Pistons got revenge on the No. 3 Knicks in a 100-94 win. It was Detroit’s first victory in a playoff game since 2008, ending the longest playoff losing streak in NBA history at 15 games.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 33 points; Jalen Brunson paced the Knicks with 37. That series, also tied 1-1, now shifts to Detroit for Game 3 on Thursday.

Clippers 105, Nuggets 102

Kawhi, Clippers respond after ugly Game 1

The story coming out of Game 1 for the Clippers involved turnovers. They coughed it up 20 times on Saturday to a Nuggets defense that forced 20 or more turnovers only three times in 82 regular-season games. Those turnovers turned into 29 points in a game in which the Nuggets rallied from 15 points down to win in overtime. What’s worse, the Clippers forced only 11 turnovers off Denver, returning them for a paltry nine points — a 20-point differential when the Clippers never trailed by more than five.

Leonard was the leader of the giveaway, tying his career-worst with seven turnovers in Game 1. It felt like a feel-out game for him.

But you could count on Leonard responding. He only attempted 15 shots in Game 1; Leonard made 15 shots in Game 2. He finished with 39 points and five assists, and he had only one turnover. He also had two of the Clippers’ 13 steals in Game 2, including an interception thrown by Jokić with the Clippers protecting their three-point lead late. That was Denver’s 20th turnover and Jokić’s seventh — a complete role reversal.

As nasty as LA’s Game 1 loss was, they will now return home with momentum and home-court advantage. Leonard responded, and so did his team. — Law Murray

Jokić’s big numbers don’t pay off for Nuggets

For the first time in the postseason, Nuggets interim coach David Adelman rolled the dice and played Jokić — who finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists — for the entire second half. He did this for two reasons: Clippers coach Ty Lue tweaked his rotation to have Ivica Zubac and Leonard on the floor together with his second unit. The result in the first half was mismatched groups on the floor, which led to a 6-0 Clippers run to begin the second quarter. Adelman did this as an in-game adjustment to counterbalance Lue’s adjustment from Game 1.

Secondly, with Game 3 on Thursday, Adelman felt he could get away with keeping Jokić on the floor in light of the two-game gap between games. The results were mixed. Jokić was terrific in garnering yet another triple-double. He also missed multiple free throws, which were signs of fatigue. — Tony Jones

Pistons 100, Knicks 94

Cunningham catalyzes Detroit to even series

Cunningham recalibrated quickly from his lackluster playoff debut to look like the best player on the floor Monday night. It didn’t matter if it was OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges or Josh Hart, the Knicks had no answer for Cunningham. His effort was the catalyst for the Pistons’ first playoff win since 2008.

He scored 20 of his 33 points in the first half and finished the game connecting on 11 of 21 from the field and also accounting for 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals. The 23-year-old guard looked like the version of himself that averaged 32.5 points on 52.3 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from long distance in Madison Square Garden during the regular season.

Dennis Schröder played a significant role in the win, as well, offering a steadying veteran hand to guide Detroit — whether Cunningham was in the game or not. Schröder chipped in 20 points, three assists and two rebounds. Veteran Paul Reed stepped up big in the absence of Isaiah Stewart, adding six points, one rebound and one block. Despite his numbers not leaping off the page, Reed was a team-high plus-13.

The Pistons now head back to Detroit with the series even and with home-court advantage. — Hunter Patterson

Knicks’ offense goes missing in Game 2 loss

For as disciplined as New York’s defense was in its Game 1 win over the Pistons, the offense was the antithesis of that in Monday’s Game 2 loss.

The Knicks — the fifth-ranked offense in the NBA during the regular season — were often stagnant and lacked spacing for most of the game, with players cutting into one another. New York scored only 94 points and shot 42 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3.

It felt like, for most of the game, the Knicks were bothered by Detroit’s physicality and frustrated by the lack of free-throw attempts. New York shot just two free throws in the first half, which came in the half’s final seconds. It felt like Brunson was seeking out contact as opposed to getting to his spots. Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t move the ball well and tried to force a lot of attempts.

Brunson, as he always does, willed his team at the end — using the Pistons’ aggression against them — and put New York in a position to win. But too many missed shots in the final seconds cost the Knicks.

The Knicks will need to adjust quickly and do a better job of staying disciplined in their spacing and getting the ball moving. — James Edwards III

(Photo of Ivica Zubac, left, and Nikola Jokić: Al Bello / Getty Images)

This post was originally published on this site