Category: Basketball

LeBron James knew what was at stake in this first-round playoff series and that it was on his shoulders to meet the moment and have his teammates follow his lead.

James simply elevated his play like he has so many times over his illustrious 23-year NBA career, playing with a purpose and willing the Lakers to a 98-78 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night at Toyota Center.

His 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds is why the Lakers won the best-of-seven series, 4-2, over the Rockets and why L.A. will meet the defending NBA champion Thunder on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

James and the Lakers had been on the verge of collapsing in these playoffs, their commanding 3-0 lead cut to 3-2.

But the Lakers and James let the Rockets know they were going to stay the course in Game 6 by building a 25-point lead in the third quarter.

Rui Hachimura let James and the Lakers know he had come to play, scoring 21 points on eight-for-15 shooting and a sizzling five for seven on three-pointers. Hachimura also had six rebounds.

Austin Reaves started in Game 6 and Luke Kennard, who had started the first five playoff games and the last five regular-season games, came off the bench. Reaves did his part for the Lakers with 15 points.

Deandre Ayton had just seven points, but his 16 rebounds and defensive presence was just as powerful.

Marcus Smart was the defensive catalyst for the Lakers. He had two blocks, one in which he just raised up to swat a shot by Tari Eason in the third quarter while then falling down backward in the process. Smart scored seven points, but it was his defense that helped the Lakers limit the Rockets to 34.2% shooting and 17.9% from three-point range.

After grabbing his last rebound with 3 minutes and 17 seconds left with the Lakers leading by 26 points, James raised his hand to come out of the game. He left with 3:07 remaining having played 37 minutes.

The Lakers built a 19-point lead in the second quarter, doing it behind James’ thrust and a strong defense that stifled the Rockets early in the period.

James had 18 points in the first half, shooting seven for 14 from the field and two for four from three-point range to help the Lakers keep a 49-31 lead at the half.

He also had four assists and three rebounds.

On the defense, the Lakers worked hard and put the Rockets on their heels in the first 24 minutes.

The Lakers held the Rockets to 28.6% shooting and 16.7% from three-point range. The Rockets turned the ball over 10 times in the first.

James then opened the third quarter with a turnaround move in the post to give the Lakers a 20-point lead.

Returning to Houston for another game was not the end of the basketball world for the Lakers.

Even if all the momentum had shifted away from the Lakers and to the Rockets, L.A. still had the lead in the series.

Even if the Lakers had failed to close out the Rockets twice and had seen their three-game lead drop to one game, L.A. had no choice but to be ready for the next moment.

In the eyes of Lakers coach JJ Redick and his group, being back here is “exactly where we’re supposed to be.”

“So, you certainly don't want to drop two games in a row,” Redick said. “You certainly don't want to feel like you've given the other team confidence and momentum. But prior to the series, and if you said we were up 3-2, coming here for a close-out game and AR would be back, we'd be ecstatic.

"So, I said this after Game 2, that this thing was just getting started. I don't think any of us expected a full sweep. We know they're a great basketball team and they were going to continue to play, continue to fight. We've got to match that tonight.”

The Lakers did.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

HOUSTON — JJ Redick said the Lakers would need to “kill” the Rockets to close out their first round playoff series. 

And on Friday night at Toyota Center, the Lakers accomplished their goal, suffocating the Rockets’ offense to a permanent end of their season en route to a 98-78 victory in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series, advancing to a second round matchup against the Thunder.

The Lakers didn’t have it going offensively, either.

The Rockets’ scoring total was not only the fewest amount of points they’ve scored in a game since 2018 (regular season and playoffs), but it was the fewest amount of points the Lakers allowed in a playoff game since May 16, 2012.

The Lakers didn’t have it going offensively either, shooting just 40.4% from the field. But they won the margins in two significant ways: Offensive rebounding (15-8) and turnovers (14-11), both of which were advantages for the Rockets throughout the first five games of the series.

LeBron James led the Lakers with 28 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds in 37 minutes, finishing with a team-best individual plus/minus of plus-26.

Rui Hachimura added an efficient 21 points (8-of-15 shooting) and 6 rebiunds, while Austin Reaves recorded 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in his second game back from his oblique injury.

Deandre Ayton controlled the boards with 16 rebounds to go with 7 points. 

Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but only had 1 assist. 

What it means

The Lakers won a playoff series for the first time in three years, when they beat the Warriors in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals in six games. 

They lost to the Nuggets and the Timberwolves in five games in the first round in the previous two seasons.

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Turning point

When the Lakers went on a 27-3 run from midway through the first quarter to midway through the second to flip a five-point deficit into a 19-point lead after a layup from James with just over eight minutes left in the second.

The Rockets went from the 5:13 mark in the first quarter, when they led 16-11, until the 6:55 mark of the second without scoring a field goal – a dominant defensive stretch by the Lakers during a game in which they didn’t let up at all defensively. 

The Lakers led by at least double digits for the remainder of the game.

MVP: LeBron James

James set the tone for the Lakers, who were desperate to avoid blowing their aries lead after winning the first three games. 

The four-time league MVP had 4 points and 3 assists in the first quarter before scoring 14 more points in the second – single handlely outscoring the Rockets in the quarter. 

The Rockets had just 13 points in the second after being held to 18 in the first.   

Stat of the game: 35%

That was the Rockets’ field goal percentage in Game 6.

It was the worst field goal percentage an opponent has had against the Lakers in a playoff game since April 28, 2023.

Up next

The Lakers will play the defending NBA champions, the Thunder, in the second round.

Game 1 of Lakers-Thunder will take place on Tuesday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

Well, that game took a turn, didn’t it? Full disclosure, this recap is coming so late because I had given up. It had been a tough work day, followed by an unwelcome call to a plumber, followed by an abysmal second quarter for the Detroit Pistons. Facing elimination and needing to deliver their A game, the Pistons delivered a D-, scoring just 12 points in the second quarter and facing a 22-point deficit. I was done. I needed to do something else with my time.

This is the moment I turned the game off, thinking it was the last time I’d see the 2025-26 Pistons.

Little did I know what the Pistons had in store in the second half.

The Pistons jumped out of the gate early, cutting a 24-point deficit to a 10-point margin by the 6:58 mark. A pair of Orlando threes from Tristan da Silva and Anthony Black and a Paolo Banchero free throw boosted the lead back up to 17, and it seemed like maybe time was out on the Pistons’ season.

That Banchero free throw at the 3:55 mark represented Orlando’s final points of the third quarter. Banchero’s missed jump shot on the ensuing possession started a string of 23 consecutive misses by the Orlando Magic. By the time they made their next field goal, an uncontested Banchero dunk down the middle of the lane, the Pistons were somehow up by 12, there was less than three minutes remaining, and it was clear we were headed back to Detroit for a deciding Game 7.

Cade Cunningham led the way for Detroit, scoring 24 points in the second half, including 19 in the fourth quarter. Those 19 points matched Orlando’s output as a team in the third and fourth quarters combined. Cunningham had his stepback game working; he was bullying his way into the rim for easy looks off the glass and hit a pair of threes.

Duncan Robinson was also able to get some clean looks courtesy of Detroit’s ability to turn defense into free-flowing offense. He hit four of his nine three-point attempts. Tobias Harris was another hero for Detroit, especially when things were at their most precarious.

It was unclear if the veteran forward was going to be able to suit up for this one, as he was questionable with an ankle sprain. Harris powered through, though, and he had everything in his bag working. He scored 22 points and added 10 rebounds.

There is not much more that can be said about the Magic. They missed some open looks, but they were also forced into plenty of errors and terrible shot attempts because of Detroit’s stifling and swarming defense. There were only a handful of clean looks in that epic 23-shot brickfest spanning the third and fourth quarters.

Thank you, Ausar Thompson.

The Pistons now get to host a Game 7 on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The crowd better be insane.

After taking care of the Rockets in six games, the Lakers will move to the second round for a matchup against the league’s best team in the Thunder.

The series will start on Tuesday, May 5.

The defending champions ran riot through everyone not named San Antonio this season, then made quick work of Phoenix in the first round. As a result, it will be a well-rested OKC team that is waiting for the Lakers, who are anything but rested.

None of the four meetings between OKC and LA went the way of the purple and gold and the majority of them were blowouts.

In the first meeting, the LeBron James-less Lakers were routed in Oklahoma City early in the season. The second meeting did not come until early February and it was the closest result of the season, but still saw the Thunder, without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, beat the Lakers, without Luka Dončić, with a late fourth-quarter burst.

The third meeting was the inflection point in the season for the Lakers as not only did OKC soundly beat a full-strength purple and gold side, but injuries to Luka and Austin Reaves drastically changed the final week of the season and the team’s playoff hopes. The final showdown five days later was a game that should have been an e-mail as the Lakers sat what was left of their team in a blowout loss.

As you can see, the Thunder have beaten every iteration of the Lakers, whether at full strength or not. That probably shouldn’t breed much confidence heading into the series, nor will the fact that Luka is not expected back any time soon either.

Outside of that, though, this should be a really fun series. At least they got to the second round, unlike a certain other team in the Rocky Mountains.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

After a couple of losses, the Lakers finally finished off the Rockets, beating them 98-78 in Game 6 to advance to the second round. 

Los Angeles went on an impressive 13-1 run to start the second quarter, giving them control of the game and they never looked back. 

Now the Lakers will face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. That series will begin on Tuesday, May 5, in OKC.

The Lakers started this game by scoring a pair of baskets in the paint. Tari Eason started off hot for the Rockets, converting on his first two shots, and after a three by Jabari Smith Jr., Houston was in front 10-6. 

Points in the paint continued to be the focus for the purple and gold and after a dunk from Rui Hachimura, they had their first lead of the game. 

Unfortunately for LA, Houston had a much more balanced attack. Alperen Şengün scored inside and after an Eason dunk, the Rockets were back in control. 

With Austin Reaves starting, Luke Kennard was relegated to the bench and got his first minutes midway through the first quarter. He hit a corner three to give LA back the lead and end his two-game drought of not making a beyond-the-arc basket.

Jake LaRavia added a three of his own, making it a 9-0 run for Los Angeles.

Smith Jr. ended the scoring drought for the Rockets by knocking a pair of free throws, but LA was still ahead by five. 

In the closing minutes of the quarter, the Lakers bricked all their shot attempts, but so did the Rockets, leaving LA ahead 23-18 after 12 minutes.

END OF 1: Lakers lead 23-18. Rui Hachimura leading with seven points, three rebounds. Austin Reaves five points. One three each from Luke Kennard and Jake LaRavia. Lakers have three offensive rebounds while the Rockets have none (!)

— Thuc Nhi Nguyen (@thucnhi21) May 2, 2026

In the second quarter, the Lakers got their offense going with a LeBron basket. Jake LaRavi added a three and, after another basket by James, LA was on a 7-0 run and Luka Dončić was jokingly signaling for Houston to call a timeout.

Luka likes the way Lebron is playing 👏 pic.twitter.com/SO6vmhGurS

— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) May 2, 2026

The Rockets didn’t, but after another basket from James, they took Luka’s advice and asked for a stop in play.

Houston finally scored off a free throw, but LaRavia immediately responded with a fastbreak dunk. This second-quarter shift from LaRavia was his best play of this series.

The Rockets literally couldn’t score, missing 15 consecutive shots. Reed Sheppard finally scored on a layup, but by then the Lakers were up 38-21. 

Sheppard scored again on a three and then Smith Jr. had a putback dunk to give the Rockets some offensive life. 

The Lakers maintained their advantage with some timely baskets, including a gorgeous spin move by Reaves inside.

Slowly, but surely, the Rockets began chipping away at the deficit with some free throws and defensive stops. After an Amen Thompson layup, Houston was down by just single digits. 

The Lakers continued to apply pressure on the rim and while it didn’t lead to makes, it did force the Rockets to foul and send them to the line. 

In the final moments of the second quarter, LeBron dished the ball to Hachimura for a three and then scored himself to send the Lakers to the locker room in front 49-31.

Halftime: Lakers 49, Rockets 31

After trailing 16-11 midway through 1Q, LA has outscored HOU 38-15. Their defense has been suffocating. Offensively, they’re taking care of the ball and dominating the offensive glass. LeBron has 18/3/5 — he’s been amazing. Rui has 10 points.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) May 2, 2026

LA came out firing on all cylinders to start the second half. LeBron scored on the first possession, Hachimura knocked down a three and, after a basket by Reaves, LA was up by 20 points. 

The Lakers shifted into cruise control in the third, but Hachimura remained hot while the Rockets struggled to score or go on any kind of significant run. Reaves continued to look more and more comfortable in his second game back, beating Şengün to the rim for a smooth layup. 

Add in an impressive block by Smart on Eason’s dunk attempt and it was becoming increasingly clear this wasn’t going to be Houston’s night.

The Rockets finished the quarter with a 7-0 run to give themselves a puncher’s chance entering the fourth. Still, LA was in full control, leading 71-55 with 12 minutes left to play. 

The final period was more of the same for the Lakers. Hachimura hit a three to start the fourth and LeBron scored inside. After a Deandre Ayton putback, the lead was once again up to 20 points. 

The Rockets continued to struggle, unable to knock down any shots. Houston didn’t make their second field goal until there was 6:57 left in the game. 

Meanwhile, Hachimura kept on scoring on mid-range shots and was clearly in the flow state, slicing through the Houston defense.

Yeaaaaaaah Rui 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sP7rr22uRu

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 2, 2026

Midway through the fourth, Sheppard hit a three. He was the only Rocket that had anything going. However, Smart responded with a three of his own, making it 91-67 Lakers. 

Then Jaxson Hayes had a slam dunk and Lakers head coach JJ Redick cleared out the benches as the game was over.

Key Player Stats

LeBron was magnificent in this game. His play is the main reason this contest was an easy win for Los Angeles. He ended the night with 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. 

Hachimura was a laser throughout the night, scoring 21 points and going 8-14 from the field with six rebounds. Austin Reaves struggled with his shot from distance, but got to the rim repeatedly to finish with 15 points on 7-14 shooting.

Ayton had just seven points, but grabbed 16 rebounds. Marcus Smart had a masterful game, finishing with seven points, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks and an assist.

LaRavia had seven points, Hayes had five points and four rebounds and Kennard had three points, three rebounds and three assists.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

RJ Barrett did the Tyrese Haliburton.

And Haliburton noticed.

During Game 6 between the Raptors and Cavaliers on Friday night, the score was 110-109 as No. 5 seed Toronto, with its season on the line, scrambled on its potentially final possession at home against No. 4 seed Cleveland.

Scottie Barnes attempted to drive on Dean Wade, saw help from Evan Mobley and kicked it out to the Toronto-born Barrett near the top of the key. Barrett fired up a shot that hit back iron before elevating high in the air, dropping into the net with 1.2 seconds remaining, awarding Toronto a 112-110 lead, which held as the final score.

The shot was reminiscent of Haliburton’s Game 1, game-tying heartbreaker in New York against the Knicks in last year’s Eastern Conference finals.

“That looked familiar,” Haliburton wrote on X on Friday night.

RJ BARRETT WHEN TORONTO NEEDED HIM MOST

The hometown hero drains the game-winning bucket in overtime to force Game 7 pic.twitter.com/D2AJbSiA5M

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 2, 2026

In the game, Haliburton made what was initially thought to be a three-point shot, which would’ve given Indiana the victory, but instead tied the game at 125 each heading into overtime.

Despite getting a break with Haliburton’s foot being on the line, the Pacers won 138-135 in overtime, taking a 1-0 lead in the series, which jump-started their eventual 4-2 victory and trip to the NBA Finals, where they pushed the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder to Game 7, where Haliburton ruptured his Achilles.

With a chance to win the series, Cleveland had time for one final possession, but Evan Mobley was short on a 3-point shot, giving the Raptors the win to tie the series 3-3 to force a Game 7 on Sunday.

The winner of Sunday’s Game 7 will see the winner of another Game 7 on the same day, between the Pistons and Magic, in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

THE SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD

Tyrese Haliburton's game-tying buzzer beater in G1 of the ECF was one for the ages!

Listen to broadcasters from around the world reacting to one of this season's most clutch buckets pic.twitter.com/0lV3mXwli5

— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2025

The Magic, with a 3-2 lead, led the Pistons 60-38 at halftime before suffering a historic collapse, where they missed 23 straight shots, 27 of their last 28 attempts, and scored just 19 second-half points en route to a 93-79 Detroit victory.

In the 112-110 win, Barrett — Toronto’s leading scorer in the series — finished with 24 points and four made threes with nine rebounds. Scottie Barnes (25 points) and Ja’Kobe Walter (24 points) — who started in place of the injured Brandon Ingram — also emerged for the scrappy fifth seed.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakersfinished off their Western Conference first-round series against the Houston Rockets on Friday, May 1.

The 41-year-old superstar finished with 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Lakers beat the Rockets 98-78 in Game 6.

He produced 18 points and was responsible for seven of Los Angeles' 18 successful shot attempts from the field throughout the first two quarters of play.

During the game, James reached 1,500 career playoff points as a member of the Lakers.

He reached the mark with a 4-foot, two-point shot, giving the Lakers a 32-18 lead with 9:26 left in the second quarter. James entered Game 6 with 1,489 playoff points for the Lakers.

LeBron James career playoff points

James is currently the NBA’s all-time leader with 8,428 career points scored in the postseason. He scored a career-high 748 during the 2017-18 postseason while playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The most he scored in a single postseason with the Miami Heat was 697 in 2011-12. He finished with 580 with the Lakers on the way to winning the 2019-20 NBA title.

• Cleveland Cavaliers: 4,573 (2003-2010, 2014-2018)
• Los Angeles Lakers: 1,517 (2019-2026)
• Miami Heat: 2,338 (2010-2014)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James reaches another postseason scoring milestone

It was win or go home for the Toronto Raptors on Friday night as they hosted game six IN the 6ix against Cleveland. After losing game five, the Raptors either had to win to force a game seven or be eliminated from the playoffs. There were a few tough blows for the Raptors before the game even started, with Brandon Ingram being a late scratch due to a heel injury he’s been battling for a while now. He joined Quickley on the bench, meaning the Raptors were down two starters.

Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter filled those spots for the Raptors instead. The atmosphere in Toronto was absolutely rocking as the game started, and the Raptors fed into it immediately. They played tough defence, got stops, and were sharing the ball enough to gain a 10-point lead at halftime.

Despite the steallar play in the first half, the Raptors’ tired legs got ahead of them in the second half. The Cavaliers slowly inched back until it was a one posession game. Of course, because why not in this series, the game went to overtime. Overtime ended up being a gritty rock fight (shocker), but a highlight was Jamal Shead’s sixth foul being overturned by a well timed coach’s challenge.

It was a one-point game in the waning seconds as the Raptors had the posession, and who else to have the ball in his hands than RJ BARRETT? In another Raptors playoff moment that involved a gravity-defying rim bounce, the ball went in, giving the Raptors the lead. What a moment for the hometown kid.

RJ Barrett is averaging 24.3 points in the series, the most in a single postseason in Raptors franchise history.

— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) May 2, 2026

According to Scottie, RJ looked at him and said “I got you Scott” before making the series-saving shot. The Raptors win the game 112-110. You can’t script it any better than that.

Scottie Barnes had a massive game, just coming up huge in every way with a 25 point, 14 assist, 7 rebound, 3 steal, 3 block stat line. The MVP chants he got were well deserved as the was everywhere for his team. RJ Barrett scored 24 points of his own along with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. Ja’Kobe Walter had 24 points as well, with 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block.

So much about this game proved the growth of the Raptors in the past 12 months. A year ago, they were a lottery team — now? They are holding their own in a playoff series off of some incredible performances. They are winning these clutch game situations. No matter how game seven goes, there is so much to look on in this Raptors series as a success.

It’s not just the growth of Barnes either, though that’s a highlight. It’s the way Barrett has stepped up, the way Jamal Shead has been so important on the floor — so much so that Darko risked a challenge to keep him in the game. It’s the way Ja’Kobe Walter had that next man up mentality, or the way this team has stayed in the series despite being down two starters for most of the series. So much about this series has showed the progression of the Raptors, but also who they should focus their team building efforts on going into next season.

The Raptors have never won a playoff game Cleveland. Ever. How poetic would it be for this team to break that streak? They have proven time and time again that they are gritty, that they don’t give up. Of course, this series has far exceeded expectations of what people thought was possible from this team, but getting the win and going to round two would just be beyond any expectations. It would be fun. Raptors fans haven’t had much of that in the past few years. Let’s keep it going. Back to Cleveland we go.

The Cleveland Cavaliers blew a chance at ending the series. Now they’ll face the Toronto Raptors for a Game 7 in Cleveland.

Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

LOSER – Single Rims

I’ve seen enough. The NBA should invest in double rims, preferably ones that cause shots to rattle out more often.

Please, I’m begging you.

LOSER – Late Game Turnovers

Jokes aside, the Cavs had a golden opportunity to end the series. A one-point lead with the shot clock off and the ball in their hands.

They turned it over.

I understand having Dennis Schroder on the floor. He’s your slipperiest player who can dash into the backcourt and guarantee the ball is put into play. From there, however, problems emerge.

Let’s maybe use one of your timeouts before trying a jump pass? Especially when tossing a grenade to your team’s worst free-throw shooter (who also happens to be straddling the sideline and is smothered by an elite defender).

It’s not Schroder’s fault that Mobley lost the ball. But the process was questionable, and the results speak for themselves.

Worse, this isn’t even the first time the Cavs turned it over in a similar position. In Game 4, they choked away a late lead after Donovan Mitchell was forced into an eight-second violation.

LOSER – The Backcourt (for three quarters)

This has been the story of the series. The Cavs’ backcourt, to varying degrees, has thrown a 2-0 lead down the drain with some truly abysmal road performances.

We’ll start with the less egregious offender.

If you could magically remove the possessions where James Harden threw the ball straight to a Raptors defender, then I wouldn’t have many complaints. Hell, even cutting that number in half would be pretty sweet. But even with Harden raising the floor by keeping the offense alive in the non-Mitchell minutes, his erradic turnovers have led directly to Toronto’s fastbreaks, which have broken Cleveland’s back.

The Raptors had 25 points off turnovers tonight. Harden finished with 4 turnovers.

That pales in comparison to Donovan Mitchell. Who, by all accounts, has been awful since Game 2.

You can afford to have your best player struggle in the playoffs. That’s bound to happen for at least a game or two. But four out of six? That’s downright diabolical. That’s the stuff that causes you to rethink the future of your entire franchise.

Mitchell was once again out of sorts. Totally thrown out of whack by the Raptors’ swarming defense. He shot 2-10 from deep, mostly on desperation attempts — and failed to register an assist until the closing minutes despite commanding so much defensive attention.

These two would turn it around significantly. But the first three quarters are still important!

WINNER – The Fourth Quarter Rally

Alright, you don’t get within seconds of closing out a series without doing at least a few things right.

Mitchell turned it on in the fourth quarter. He finally broke free from Toronto’s shackles and found a nice home for himself in the mid-range. His floater helped fuel the comeback while Cleveland’s defense continued to ratchet up the intensity.

The Cavs held the Raptors to just 12 points in the fourth quarter. That’s as good as it gets defensively. If the Cavs could have been more effective on offense (only scoring 23 points themselves), they might have avoided overtime altogether.

This is where Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen deserve their flowers.

The two bigs came up huge throughout the rally. Mobley, in particular, scored 7 points in the clutch without missing a shot. He hit a corner three-pointer to cut into the lead, and then scored in isolation to force overtime in the final seconds.

Allen wasn’t as active in the scoring department but he applied maximum pressure on the glass. Allen grabbed contested board after contested board, helping the Cavs end possessions and extending them on the other side of the floor.

For a minute, this felt like the moment Cleveland was going to break through and prove they’re ready for the moment. Now they face elimination on Sunday.

LOSER – Wasting your challenge

WHY, KENNY? WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Sorry, I had to get this one out.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Orlando forward Paolo Banchero, when asked to explain what went wrong for the Magic in the second half against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, had a very succinct answer.

“They went on a pretty big run there,” Banchero said. “And we didn't score.”

It truly might have been that simple.

The Pistons — facing elimination and down by 24 points, on the road, in the second half, and about to join an ignominious club of No. 1 seeds who were ousted from the playoffs by No. 8 seeds — pulled off a comeback for the ages in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Magic.

The final score: Pistons 93, Magic 79.

“We weren't going to lay down,” Pistons guard Cade Cunningham said. “For anything.”

A breakdown of how the comeback — or the collapse, depending on one’s perspective — happened:

The basic numbers

— The score over the first 25 minutes: Magic 62, Pistons 38.

— The score over the final 23 minutes: Pistons 55, Magic 17.

— The score in the fourth quarter: Pistons 31, Magic 8.

— Orlando's shooting percentage in the fourth quarter: 5%. The Magic were 1 for 20.

— That was the worst shooting percentage by any team, in any quarter, since Washington shot 5% in the fourth quarter against Charlotte on Nov. 25, 2015. Put another way, it was the worst shooting performance in any quarter by an NBA team in the league's last 20,238 games.

Orlando's shooting drought

The Magic missed 23 consecutive shots from the field, the most by any team in a playoff game during the play-by-play era (which started with the 1996-97 season).

— Banchero and Desmond Bane were both 0 for 6.

— Jalen Suggs was 0 for 4.

— In all, eight Magic players missed a shot during the drought and 13 of the 23 misses were from 3-point range.

— Orlando led 70-54 when the run of missed shots started. Detroit led 89-75 when it ended. That's a 35-5 Pistons run.

— In game time, the missed-shot stretch took 13 minutes, 50 seconds. In real time, it was about 41 minutes.

What the Pistons did

Cunningham had seven field goals in the second half and Duncan Robinson had four for the Pistons in that span.

The Magic — as a team — had four baskets, in the entire second half. And Cunningham outscored the Magic in the second half by himself, 24-19.

“I mean, we just have amazing spirit and never quit," Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “This is a testament to what we’ve built.”

Detroit didn't exactly get red-hot; the Pistons shot 40% in the second half. But the defense and a dominant show on the glass — the Pistons outrebounded the Magic 35-17 in the second half — was more than enough.

The final word

“It keeps us alive. It allows us to fight another day. And now it's about us going and finishing the job. None of this stuff means anything if we don't go win Game 7. But we'll be back at home, we'll have a lot of energy in there, and these last two games have given us a lot of life.” — Cunningham, on what the comeback and having a chance to play Game 7 means.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Imagine trying to explain this to a friend who doesn’t really watch the NBA.

The No. 8 seed Magic led the No. 1 Pistons 60-38 in a playoff elimination game at home with a 3-2 series lead.

On the brink of becoming the seventh No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed in NBA history, the Pistons mounted a furious, defensive-minded comeback, outscoring the Magic 55-19 in the second half in front of their home crowd.

Orlando, despite its 22-point halftime lead, lost the game 93-79.

The Pistons outscored the Magic 31-8 in the fourth quarter, where Orlando shot 1-for-20 from the field and 0-for-10 from deep.

Detroit’s star player, Cade Cunningham, finished with the same number of points in just the fourth quarter (19) as Orlando had in the entire second half.

The Magic’s 19 points are the lowest ever for a team in a half during an NBA playoff game.

And during their collapse, the Magic missed 23 consecutive shots, 27 of their final 28 field goal attempts, and 37 of their 41 second-half tries from the floor.

The Pistons’ win forces a Game 7, which will be in Detroit on Sunday.

The Pistons, who trailed 3-1 entering Game 5, haven’t won a playoff series since 2008, while the Magic haven’t since 2010.

Cunningham, who found his offense late, finished the memorable evening with a game-high 32 points, along with 10 rebounds.

The winner of the series will face the winner of the Cavaliers and Raptors series in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which will begin this coming week.

Shortly after the Pistons victory, the Raptors outlasted the Cavaliers in overtime behind a game-winning three from RJ Barrett, who channeled Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton with an elevated bounce from back iron to drain the three.

That forced a Game 7 between the Cavaliers and Raptors on Sunday.

This era of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball has become synonymous with playoff collapses. How it happens changes. The final result doesn’t.

This time, it was RJ Barrett who broke Cleveland’s heart by hitting a game-winning three that careened off the rim, hung in the air for eternity, and then fell through the hoop with just over a second to play to keep the Toronto Raptors season alive. That bounce turned what would’ve been a 110-109 win for the Cavs into a 112-110 victory for Toronto.

For as good as that shot was, Barrett should’ve never had an opportunity to attempt it, at least not for the win.

The Cavs had the ball up one with 11 seconds to play. Head coach Kenny Atkinson subbed Dennis Schroder, the Game 5 hero, into the game for the crucial possession and decided to inbound the ball in the backcourt.

Toronto applied pressure, but Schroder broke it, bursting into the front court. Then, inexplicably, he attempted a pass to Evan Mobley — the worst free-throw shooter on the court — when the Raptors were going to inevitably foul and send Cleveland to the line. As bad as that decision was, something far worse happened. Mobley just let the ball be poked out of his hands.

If that inexcusable mistake doesn’t happen, that shot from Barrett might not have either. Or at the very least, it probably wouldn’t have won Toronto the game.

But to blame the defeat on just one play is disingenuous. The Cavs lost this game in the first three quarters due to their inattention to detail, incoherent offense, poor lineup decisions, and the inability of their stars to rise to the occasion.

The Cavs sleptwalked through the first three quarters against a Raptors team that was without their starting point guard and leading scorer from the regular season. They approached the game with the same intensity you’d expect from the second night of a back-to-back in January. Not a closeout playoff game.

The Raptors took advantage. They were the aggressors as they jumped out to a 10-point lead at the break, and then extended it to 15 midway through the third quarter.

This game had all the makings of any of the previous Cavs no-shows in the playoffs. Except this time, they counterpunched.

Defense, not offense, got the Cavs back into the game.

The attention to detail that wasn’t present at the start of the game was suddenly there. This resulted in the Raptors going three-and-a-half minutes without scoring and putting up just 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland’s offense wasn’t great, but it did enough to get them back into the game. Donovan Mitchell came alive, scoring 11 points in the final frame.

For as well as the Cavs played throughout the fourth, they couldn’t get over the hump. They found themselves down two with 16 seconds left, before Evan Mobley hit a clutch finger roll to tie the game.

A missed Jamal Shead three-pointer sent the game to overtime.

The Cavs then grabbed their first lead since the opening quarter off a James Harden midrange jumper. Then, a Mitchell finger roll with 34 seconds left in overtime gave the Cavs a two-point advantage.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, that would be the last shot attempt they would get.

Jamal Shead drew a shooting foul on the following possession. He split his free throws, making it a one-point game.

Cleveland grabbed the rebound on the missed shot. Mitchell advanced it into the forecourt and was then fouled. The Raptors had a foul to give, which meant the Cavs had to do it again before they could attempt free throws. Then Mobley fumbled it away, Barrett hit the three, and the Raptors escaped with the victory.

Mobley was the lone bright spot in the loss for Cleveland, even though he committed the turnover late.

Mobley played one of the best games of his career, considering the moment. He came up with numerous big shots, including a triple at the end of regulation and a game-tying basket just before the close of the fourth quarter that kept the Cavs in this game. Mobley finished with 26 points on 9-15 shooting with 14 rebounds, three assists, and a steal.

Mitchell struggled to get anything going until the fourth quarter. He ended the evening with 24 points, but it took him 26 shots to get there. He had just five rebounds, two assists, and three turnovers in the loss.

Harden struggled to find his scoring touch. He went 5-14 from the field for just 16 points. He did, however, provide nine big rebounds, including five on the offensive end, to go along with nine assists. Turnovers were once again a problem for the Cavs, and Harden was the biggest culprit as he committed four.

Toronto was led by 25 points from Scottie Barnes on 11-21 shooting to go along with 14 assists, seven rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. Barrett and Ja’Kobe Walter had 24 points apiece.

The Cavs are one loss away from their season ending. Game 7 will be back home on Sunday evening.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored 32 points and the top-seeded Detroit Pistons pulled off an incredible rally Friday night, erasing a 24-point deficit and beating the Orlando Magic 93-79 to force a Game 7 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Detroit trailed by 22 at the half and Orlando’s lead went to 62-38 early in the third quarter. The Magic looked absolutely poised to become the seventh No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the conference quarterfinal round.

And then everything went wrong for Orlando. Everything.

The Magic became the first team since 1996-97 — when play-by-play began getting tracked digitally — to lose at home after leading by at least 24 points with a chance to win a series.

Tobias Harris scored 22 points for Detroit, which will host Game 7 on Sunday. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane each scored 17 for Orlando, which is now 0-2 in closeout opportunities in this series.

RAPTORS 112, CAVALIERS 110, OT

TORONTO (AP) — RJ Barrett hit a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime and Toronto pushed their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series to a seventh game by beating Cleveland.

Evan Mobley had a chance to win it for Cleveland but his 3-pointer bounced off the front of the rim.

Scottie Barnes had 25 points and 14 assists, Barrett and Ja’Kobe Walter both scored 24 points and Collin Murray-Boyles added 17 as Toronto held on after blowing an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Game 7 is in Cleveland on Sunday. The home team has won all six games so far in the series.

Mobley had 26 points and 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points and James Harden had 16 for the Cavaliers. Jarrett Allen scored 14 points and Dean Wade had 10.

LAKERS 98, ROCKETS 78

HOUSTON (AP) — LeBron James had 28 points and Los Angeles eliminated Houston in Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series by holding the Rockets to a season low in points.

The No. 4 seed Lakers move on to meet the top-seeded Thunder with Game 1 Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

The Lakers used a 27-3 run in the first half to take an 18-point lead at halftime. They led by 22 with about three minutes left in the third quarter before Houston went on an 8-2 run to cut the lead to 71-55 entering the fourth.

But Los Angeles opened the quarter with a 10-3 spurt, with five points from Rui Hachimura, to make it 81-58 with about seven minutes left.

Hachimura added 21 points with five 3-pointers.

Amen Thompson had 18 points and Alperen Sengun added 17 for Houston, which is heading home after a first-round playoff loss for a second straight season after losing to the Warriors in seven games last year.

The Toronto Raptors had to scrap after blowing a 15-point lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half, but guard RJ Barrett got the friendliest of bounces off the back rim on Toronto’s game-winning 3-pointer in overtime that extended the season to a Game 7.

With the Raptors facing a one-point deficit with 10.9 seconds left in overtime, Toronto inbounded the ball to forward Scottie Barnes, who brought it up the floor. Barnes faced a double-team when Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley collapsed on Barnes in the paint, leaving Barrett wide open at the top of the key. Barrett hoisted a 3-point attempt that hit the back rim and then bounced high in the air, reaching to the top of the shot clock above the basket, before it fell through the net.

RJ BARRETT HITS THE GO-AHEAD 3 IN OT TO WIN IT FOR THE RAPTORS AND FORCE GAME 7 🚨

WHAT A SHOT WITH THE SEASON ON THE LINE 😲 pic.twitter.com/FI6yKSWCaq

— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2026

The shot gave the Raptors a two-point edge, and Mobley missed the would-be, game-winning attempt on the other end to give Toronto a 112-110 victory.

The shot was reminiscent of another back-rim bounce from last season’s playoffs, when Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton tied Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals when his shot bounced high off the back rim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Raptors defeat Cavaliers thanks to bounce on RJ Barrett game winner