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CHICAGO — The Nets don’t have the face of their franchise.

Lottery luck Sunday in Chicago (3 p.m. on ESPN) could change that.

Brooklyn hasn’t drafted a homegrown All-Star in over a decade, dating back to Brook Lopez. But in a generational class with a trio of projected franchise-changers, the Nets go into Sunday’s lottery tied for the best odds of winning the No. 1 pick (14.0 percent) and of landing a coveted top 3 pick (40.15 percent).

BYU wing AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke big Cam Boozer are all viewed as face-of-the-franchise stars, with North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson an elite prospect who could conceivably turn that Big Three into a Fantastic Four.

“If I got another guy here who really is able to create and draw some attention, and now I’m getting two or three wide-open 3s a game, it would really help us,” Michael Porter Jr. said on the Road Trippin’ podcast.

“That’s what we’re [looking for]. I’ve talked to the front office, and that would be a big thing for us. I think we’re going to get a good draft pick, and then we’ve got the most money in the NBA to go get a really good playmaking two-guard or point guard; that would just help.”

Despite a glaring need for a playmaker, Brooklyn is talent-poor enough that it will almost certainly draft the best available player and trade or sign a guard if needed. With the Nets owning Houston swap rights on next year’s pick — in a class already seen as weak — Sunday marks their best shot at a young star.

Dybantsa, Peterson or Boozer are all perceived cornerstones, and Wilson could be as well. If they fall outside the top 4, there are a host of guards in Kingston Flemings, Darius Acuff Jr., Keaton Wagler and Mikel Brown Jr.

Could sliding as they did last year prompt Brooklyn to be more aggressive in the trade market?

They can’t dip below the seventh pick, but their likeliest landing spots are sixth (26.02 percent chance) or fifth (14.82 percent chance).

A franchise that has been one of the league’s most star-crossed will send owner Joe Tsai to the team drawing room and Hall of Famer Vince Carter to the dais seeking some much-needed luck.

“I’m excited to be representing the Nets at the draft lottery this weekend,” Carter said in a message recorded for Brooklyn fans. “I’m hoping I can bring us some luck. Stay tuned. Go Nets.”

The Nets need luck more than their lottery co-leaders, as Indiana reached the Finals a year ago and Washington added Anthony Davis and Trae Young. Brooklyn lacks a star, and this is its best opportunity for one.

To drive that point home, the Mavs, Spurs, 76ers and Hornets got the first four picks last year, and vaulted from averaging 29 wins to 44. But the Jazz, Wizards, Pelicans and Nets settled for the next four selections, and after averaging 20.5 wins were right back in the cellar again with 21.

The lottery has rarely been kind to the Nets, with top 8 odds 10 times and only moving up twice: winning in 1990 to land Derrick Coleman and again a decade later to pick Kenyon Martin. Within two years they’d made the Finals.

Their lucky charm in the drawing room that day in 2000 — ex-team president Finn Wentworth — told The Post a successful Sunday could spark a similar meteoric rise.

“Ours was the worst draft. This is arguably the best draft in the modern era,” Wentworth told The Post. “They don’t need to get the first pick in this draft, it’s so deep. If they get one of the top 3 picks, they’ve got a force to coalesce around.

“If they can get one of the top 3 picks in this draft, they can coalesce around this guy, that’s going to go ahead and become a cornerstone.

“This is one of those drafts where it’s very, very deep. You have three or four guys that are A-pluses, and then you have a bunch of A’s.”

Detroit Pistons (60-22, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30, fourth in the Eastern Conference)

Cleveland; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT

LINE: Cavaliers -3.5; over/under is 212.5

EASTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Pistons lead series 2-1

BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Pistons visit the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference second round with a 2-1 lead in the series. The Cavaliers won the last matchup 116-109 on Saturday, led by 35 points from Donovan Mitchell. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 27.

The Cavaliers are 33-19 in conference play. Cleveland is 2-5 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Pistons have gone 39-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Detroit is fourth in the Eastern Conference scoring 117.8 points per game and is shooting 48.5%.

The 119.5 points per game the Cavaliers average are 9.9 more points than the Pistons allow (109.6). The Pistons average 117.8 points per game, 2.4 more than the 115.4 the Cavaliers give up to opponents.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell is shooting 48.3% and averaging 27.9 points for the Cavaliers. James Harden is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Jalen Duren is scoring 19.5 points per game and averaging 10.5 rebounds for the Pistons. Duncan Robinson is averaging 3.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cavaliers: 5-5, averaging 109.7 points, 42.3 rebounds, 21.5 assists, 7.5 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.8 points per game.

Pistons: 6-4, averaging 104.4 points, 45.6 rebounds, 21.6 assists, 8.6 steals and 7.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 99.8 points.

INJURIES: Cavaliers: None listed.

Pistons: Kevin Huerter: day to day (adductor).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18, first in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29, fourth in the Western Conference)

Los Angeles; Monday, 10:30 p.m. EDT

LINE: Thunder -10.5; over/under is 213.5

WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Thunder lead series 3-0

BOTTOM LINE: The Oklahoma City Thunder look to clinch the series over the Los Angeles Lakers in game four of the Western Conference second round. The Thunder defeated the Lakers 131-108 in the last meeting on Sunday. Ajay Mitchell led the Thunder with 24 points, and Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 21.

The Lakers are 33-19 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles is 8-3 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Thunder are 41-11 in Western Conference play. Oklahoma City is third in the Western Conference scoring 119.0 points per game and is shooting 48.4%.

The Lakers average 11.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.5 fewer makes per game than the Thunder give up (14.3). The Thunder are shooting 48.4% from the field, 0.1% higher than the 48.3% the Lakers' opponents have shot this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: LeBron James is shooting 51.5% and averaging 20.9 points for the Lakers. Hachimura is averaging 3.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Chet Holmgren is scoring 17.1 points per game and averaging 8.9 rebounds for the Thunder. Luguentz Dort is averaging 1.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lakers: 5-5, averaging 104.3 points, 40.6 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 7.8 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.3 points per game.

Thunder: 8-2, averaging 119.3 points, 42.1 rebounds, 27.5 assists, 9.9 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.9 points.

INJURIES: Lakers: Luka Doncic: out (hamstring).

Thunder: Jalen Williams: out (hamstring), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

PHILADELPHIA — There hasn’t been much change in OG Anunoby’s availability.

He is again questionable for the Game 4 clash against the 76ers on Sunday afternoon at Xfinity Mobile Arena, as the Knicks look to close out the series. Anunoby, who has a right hamstring strain, was also questionable for Game 3 but did not play.

Coach Mike Brown said Saturday that they still consider Anunoby day to day.

Now that they are up 3-0, would that sway the Knicks to be extra cautious and hold him out of Game 4?

“Not for me,” Brown said. “It’s all medical related and it starts with [the training staff], the doctors and OG. All I want them to do is tell me when he can play.”

Anunoby suffered the injury in Game 2, when he began limping after driving to the basket in the fourth quarter. He stayed in for a few plays, but soon after asked to be subbed, went to the locker room and did not return.

Subsequent imaging revealed that it is a “very minor” strain, The Post’s Stefan Bondy reported, and the Knicks are confident he should not miss much time.

Miles McBride started in his place in the 108-94 Game 3 win, though he struggled with his shot. It was Landry Shamet, who finished with 15 points and ended up playing more minutes than McBride, who more so helped fill the void.

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Joel Embiid, who missed Game 2 with hip and ankle ailments and returned for Game 3, is probable for Game 4 for the 76ers.

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No team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit. But the Knicks are cognizant that the 76ers just overcame a 3-1 deficit in the first round against the Celtics.

“They’re a really good team and they’ve already done it once before,” Brown said. “We addressed it, but the biggest thing is just trying to stay present, not getting ahead of yourself.”

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Giants coach John Harbaugh is itching to get to a Knicks playoff game.

“My wife is on me, she wants to get there for a playoff game,” Harbaugh said Saturday. “Where do they stand? 3-0? Counting on another series.”

LOS ANGELES — The location of the Thunder-Lakers series switched from OKC to LA, but nothing else changed.

It was still a contest where the Lakers had to play to perfection to win and the Thunder just had to be good enough. Like the other matchups, it went OKC’s way as they won131-108 to take a commanding 3-0 lead.

There are plenty of reasons to explain these losses. Key starters have struggled. Austin Reaves had a bad game in Game 1 and LeBron James played poorly in this contest. Turnovers have also been an issue for LA. They led the NBA playoffs in this category, turning it over 17 times on Saturday night.

But the biggest reason they’ve lost is obvious and simple: they just aren’t as good.

“The MVP [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] is…7 of 20 tonight, and they’ve kicked our ass three straight games,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said postgame. “They’re an incredible basketball team.”

While the result itself was discouraging, how it happened was even more demoralizing.

The Lakers didn’t lose due to a lack of effort. Rui Hachimura was a laser, scoring 21 points and shooting 50% from the field. Luke Kennard gave LA an injection of offense off the bench, scoring 18 points. And Redick made some adjustments as well.

He benched the struggling Jake LaRavia and gave rookie Adou Thiero extended minutes. Before the game, Redick said he wanted Thiero to bring high effort and physicality. Thiero did just that, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds while playing 13 minutes.

With adjustments working and role players shining, the Lakers were up by two at the half. But when it was time to win the game, the Thunder woke up and put the Lakers to sleep.

OKC started the third with a pair of threes from Luguentz Dort and Ajay Mitchell. Then Isaiah Hartenstein slammed the ball on a Mitchell lob to regain the lead. The Thunder continued to pile on, going on a 15-6 run to start the quarter, forcing Redick to call a timeout.

Feel like the Thunder might have just snatched the Lakers' soul in the third.

— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) May 10, 2026

This was similar to their Game 2 meltdown, when the Lakers went from being up by five in the third quarter to down by 13 to start the fourth. In that instance, it happened when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t on the floor. This time, SGA was on the court, able to relish his team putting another nail into the Lakers’ coffin.

“Especially in that second half, third quarter especially, they’ve just been killing us,” Kennard said. “We know it. It’s in our minds and hopefully we can get together, talk about it tomorrow, figure some things out, and be ready to go.”

The Thunder are the defending champions, have the best record in the NBA and have yet to lose a playoff game. They have arguably the best player in the world in SGA, and even his struggles have been irrelevant with OKC possessing the deepest bench in the NBA.

Jared McCain has hurt the Lakers all series long and Mitchell has looked like one of the best offensive players in the league, including in Saturday’s second half.

LA just doesn’t have the guys to compete with OKC, who are evenare playing without their second-best player, Jalen Williams who hasn’t played in this series.

Teams trailing 3-0 have never come back to win a playoff series. After three blowouts, only delusion at a level beyond comprehension would make one believe LA can turn this around.

Still, while an impossible task lies ahead of him, Redick maintains his message that this comeback can be accomplished.

“Third straight game, we’re right there after two and a half quarters,” Redick said. “We tried different lineups, tried different coverages, still lost those minutes again. We’ve got to be better.”

At this point, the only question that remains is how much fight does this team have left? Will they bring the appropriate level of urgency and play with the perfection and execution needed to win on Monday? Or does giving into a sweep seem far more pleasant than playing Game 5 in OKC?

What is wholly unquestionable, though, is that the Thunder are just the better team.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

The Los Angeles Lakers are potentially staring down a sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the possible end of the LeBron James era in LA.

The No. 4 seed Lakers led the No. 1 seed Thunder at halftime for the second straight game, but were outscored by 25 points in the second half following yet another collapse over the final two quarters to find themselves down 3-0 to the defending NBA champions.

"I'm not angry or disappointed," James told reporters postgame. "Obviously, I'm disappointed being down 3-0, but we still got life and that's all you can ask for, and we gotta be much better on Monday. We'll see what happens."

NBA takeaways: Lakers have no answer for Thunder and their antics

Whatever happens in Game 4, there's a chance it could be James' last in a Lakers uniform. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and the fact that no extension has been worked out has been at the center of a season-long soap opera filled with rumors suggesting a deterioration of his relationship with team governor Jeanie Buss. There's also been rumors to the contrary, that the Lakers would be happy to keep James in purple and gold through the remainder of his playing days.

And, of course, there's also the chance that James retires this summer.

All signs throughout the season have pointed to James playing a 24th NBA season next year, but his recent declaration that he wouldn't want a retirement tour sparked renewed speculation.

James' legacy as a Laker is a complicated one, but that's another story for another time. He brought a championship back to LA in his second season, ending a decade-long drought for the second-most decorated franchise in NBA history. He was the superstar who wanted the pressure of playing in LA when several in the years before 2018 eschewed what was then perceived as a dysfunctional, rebuilding team that lacked direction (remember LaMarcus Aldridge?).

Though James will probably forever be associated with the Cleveland Cavaliers first, his eight years as a Laker is his longest continuous stretch with any one team, surpassing the first seven years of his career in his home state (though he later rejoined the Cavs for four more seasons following his stint in Miami). He broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record — and several others — wearing a gold jersey.

Wonder what LeBron is thinking as the Lakers season comes to an end… pic.twitter.com/4fCXwJ5j5Z

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 10, 2026

But none of that matters right now. There's still more basketball to be played.

Both James and Austin Reaves had off nights offensively on Saturday; James contributed 19 points to go with eight assists and six rebounds, but was an inefficient 7-of-19 (36.8%) from the field and 2-of-6 from long range and was a -24 in his 37 minutes played. He and Reaves combined for eight total turnovers, half of the Lakers' total.

That's not to place the blame solely on the Lakers' two stars. Realistically, the Lakers were doomed from the moment Luka Doncic strained his hamstring on April 2 in Oklahoma City. It was James who turned back the clock and showed that he can still do incredible things on the court at 41 years old by leading LA to a first-round win over the Houston Rockets; don't forget his game-tying 3 in the final seconds to send one game to overtime, where they eventually gutted out a 112-108 win behind his 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

In this round, however, the Lakers have simply run into a team that's just flat-out better than them.

They've done an admirable job limiting MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Chet Holmgren has thrived. So has Ajay Mitchell, who has stepped into a bigger role while Jalen Williams has been sidelined with a hamstring strain of his own. Mitchell led OKC on Saturday with 24 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Jared McCain and Cason Wallace have been sparkplugs off the bench all series. The Thunder are simply too talented and too deep across the board for the Lakers to compete with for all four quarters, especially without the NBA's leading scorer this season in Doncic.

"They're pretty damn good, from top to bottom," James told reporters. "They don't let their foot off the gas. ... They have a lot of bodies and they got a lot of guys who can do multiple things on the floor, so it helps to have that depth."

As for the possibility that Monday might be it?

"Nah, you don't really talk about that," James told reporters. "Just focus on the moment, and go from there."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James contract status, future is uncertain with Lakers down 3-0

While it doesn’t make the losses feel any more frustrating in the moment, there is something comforting in the long run knowing that the team you’re losing to is just a better team.

It was apparent before Saturday, but Game 3 made it abundantly clear that the Lakers are simply levels below the Thunder. LA has made mistakes at times, but OKC is relentless and punishes them every time.

Normal teams make mistakes. Normal teams do not take advantage of every one of them. The Thunder are an abnormality. We have rarely seen a team like this.

There’s a bit of bitterness that the Lakers won’t have Luka Dončić this series. But against many other teams, this effort would result in a competitive series. The scheme is there. The effort is there more often than not. It’s not been perfect and there are areas to improve, but it ultimately doesn’t matter because they’ve run into a buzzsaw.

The only question left is if they’re interested in taking a flight back to Oklahoma.

So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

LeBron James

37 minutes, 19 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 7-19 FG, 2-6 3PT, 3-4 FT, -24

This wasn’t LeBron’s best effort. He’s looked more tired as the series has progressed. He hit a couple of threes in the first half that were big, but he was much quieter in the second half.

He’s still attacking the rim…and not getting calls. The Lakers need that. But can we just let this man have continuation on one jumper?

Grade: B

Rui Hachimura

39 minutes, 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 7-14 FG, 5-8 3PT, 2-2 FT, -24

The biggest winner of this series for the Lakers is Rui. He’s been a playoff riser before, but he’s been unbelievable in this series. Even after all the attention on it after Game 2, Rui came out and had his best game of the series.

Imagine where they would be without his shooting.

Grade: A+

Deandre Ayton

24 minutes, 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 fouls, 5-9 FG, -8

This wasn’t a great Ayton game. That being said, it seems he became a bit of a lightning rod for blame for this loss. Oddly, that was led by the broadcast.

Blaming Ayton for the team not grabbing offensive rebounds felt out of order. He was battling Isaiah Hartenstein on most of those possessions and getting a hand on it. He isn’t solely responsible for rebounding.

Now, having said all that, he’s been outplayed by both OKC bigs and it’s made a steep hill even harder to climb.

Grade: C-

Austin Reaves

39 minutes, 17 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 turnovers, 2 fouls, 5-13 FG, 1-5 3PT, 6-8 FT, -23

It was a slightly mixed bag from Reaves.

The positive was that his playmaking remained strong. He set a new playoff career high with nine assists. However, eight of those came in the first half, a sign of how much the Lakers tailed off in this one.

The big negative, though, was his overall shooting. He started the game missing a lot of shots. He found his way a bit later on, but it was too little, too late. The Lakers just need him to be better, flat out.

It’s not realistic to expect him to average 30 points and be an elite playmaker. But it is what the Lakers need right now.

And when he’s not doing that, his defensive shortcomings look really loud.

Grade: C+

Marcus Smart

32 minutes, 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 3-7 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3-4 FT, -22

These have been back-to-back frustrating Smart games. He’s doing a lot of the little things on both ends of the floor. He’s making things difficult defensively. His hustle created a couple of baskets on the offensive end.

Those things are great when Luka is around. When he’s not, the Lakers need more and he’s unable to provide it.

At the same time, he’s still doing some nonsensical things. His football pass to LeBron in the first half was a terrible decision that somehow worked and ended in a Luke Kennard three. OKC was forcing him to create as well, and you’ll never believe how that went.

Grade: C+

Luke Kennard

29 minutes, 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 7-10 FG, 4-6 3PT, -8

Easily his best game since the start of the first round. The difference in Game 3 was that he was aggressive, both as a shooter and as a driver. The Lakers got multiple open looks off his drive and kicks.

There are still negatives with him — he plays small even as a small player, which gets him crushed on switches — but this was still a great showing.

Grade: A

Jaxson Hayes

9 minutes, 1 point, 2 rebounds, 2 fouls, 1-2 FT, -5

This wasn’t an outright bad game from Hayes, it was just a really unimpactful one.

Grade: C

Adou Thiero

13 minutes, 4 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-3 FT, +0

Adou got Jake LaRavia’s spot in the rotation and was largely good. There were some chaotic moments, like blowing a wide open dunk and then getting bailed out by a foul call right after. But he grabbed eight boards, played decent defense and wasn’t awful. I’d suspect he gets time again in Game 4.

Grade: B+

Maxi Kleber

8 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 0-1 FG, -1

It was a bit of a surprise to see Kleber get minutes. It was even more surprising that he got them without another big on the floor. And those minutes went terribly. He turned the ball over, bobbled a pass out of bounds and set an illegal screen in consecutive possessions.

So, enough of that.

Grade: F

Dalton Knecht, Bronny James, Nick Smith Jr.

Only minutes in garbage time for this group.

JJ Redick

Redick is coaching one hell of a series. For a third straight game, they got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of rhythm as he finished 7-20 from the field. They’ve found some things that work offensively in spreading the Thunder out and finding shooters.

He changed up rotations today and found something that worked in Adou and something that didn’t in Kleber. But given where the team was in the game and series, you can’t blame him for trying something.

At the end of the day, it’s just obvious the team isn’t good enough.

Grade: A

Saturday’s DNPs: Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia

Saturday’s inactives: Luka Dončić

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

It all comes down to this!

Tomorrow is the biggest of the season for all the teams at the bottom of the standings. The Utah Jazz did everything they could to set themselves up for the most successful possible outcome in the lottery. The lottery is one of the most fascinating nights in all of sports. With the drawing of four lottery balls, the NBA’s future is decided. Will it be the worst teams in the league getting elite prospects, or will we see some of the better teams get lucky like the Oklahoma City Thunder or Atlanta Hawks?

Tomorrow, and for some reason on a Sunday on Mother’s Day, the NBA will decide which teams will receive a franchise-altering talent and which fan bases will come up with coping conspiracy theories as to why their ping pong balls didn’t come up in the lottery machine.

How to watch the 2026 NBA Lottery

Channel: ABC/ESPN

Start Time: 3:00 PM ET

Date: May 10, 2026

Where: McCormck Place Convention Center, Chicago, IL

What are the odds for the NBA Draft Lottery?

The Wizards, Pacers, and Nets are the three teams with the best odds to win the NBA lottery, with the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings tied with the next best odds at the 4th and 5th spots, with the Jazz owning the tiebreaker.

Here are the odds for each team in the NBA Draft Lottery

TEAM	RECORD	ODDS for #1 Pick
Washington	17-65	14.00%
Indiana (May be conveyed to the Clippers if not top-4)	19-63	14.00%
Brooklyn	20-62	14.00%
Utah	22-60	11.50%
Sacramento	22-60	11.50%
Memphis	25-57	9.00%
New Orleans (to Atlanta or Milwaukee)	26-56	6.80%
Dallas	26-56	6.70%
Chicago	31-51	4.50%
Milwaukee^	32-50	3.00%
Golden State	37-45	2.00%
LA Clippers (to Oklahoma City)	42-40	1.50%
Miami	43-39	1.00%
Charlotte	44-38	0.50%

But what are the odds for the rest of the picks? Here are the odds for each team and the range of likelihoods where the land.

Below are the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery probabilities for each team ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/SPuHiKew7n

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 8, 2026

The lottery tomorrow could be a memorable one. Jazz fans just hope that it’s most memorable for them.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a 116-109 Game 3 win over the Detroit Pistons thanks to 35 points from Donovan Mitchell and clutch shotmaking from James Harden.

The stats in the table below are taken from Cleaning the Glass. As a note, the percentiles are compared to other playoff games, which affects the sample size.

	Offensive Rating	Effective Field Goal Percentage	Offensive Turnover Percentage	Offensive Rebounding Percentage	Free Throw Rate
Cavs	122.1, 70th percentile	66.2%, 95th percentile	15.8%, 37th percentile	25.3%, 25th percentile	24.3, 69th percentile
Pistons	114.7, 48th percentile	50%, 24th percentile	16.8%, 28th percentile	40.4%, 93rd percentile	19.8, 47th percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

• The Cavs are now 15-1 this year when Donovan Mitchell scores 35 or more points. Cleveland has gone as Mitchell has all season. That trend has now carried over to the playoffs, as seen with his scoring outburst in Game 3.
• Mitchell went 6-8 on shots in the restricted area. He continually got into the teeth of the defense and finished inside. Detroit simply couldn’t stay in front of him. This performance came after he attempted just one shot in the restricted area during the first two games combined.
• Mitchell once again couldn’t get anything to fall from three as he went 2-8. He’s connecting on just 32.2% of his outside looks this playoff run.
• Cleveland won the minutes Mitchell was on the court by seven. Mitchell was in the 86th percentile for on/off splits during the regular season. The Cavs consistently played their best basketball with him on the floor. That trend hasn’t carried over to the playoffs. Cleveland has only won Mitchell’s minutes four times this postseason. They’re 4-0 when they outscore their opponent with Mitchell on the court and 1-5 when they don’t.
• Mitchell recorded 10 rebounds. This is the first time he’s reached double-digit boards in a game since Dec. 31.
• The Cavs took 40% of their shots at the rim (85th percentile). This has been an issue throughout the series. The Cavs were in the 2nd and 31st percentile in rim attempts over the last two games.
• Cleveland made the most of those looks as they converted 84% of their attempts in the restricted area (92nd percentile).
• The Cavs executed well offensively, posting a 113.5 half-court offensive rating (87th percentile). The offense hasn’t performed great against Detroit’s set defense in the first two games of the series. Strong showings from Mitchell and Harden helped turn that around on Sunday.
• Detroit missed 13 straight threes from the first quarter through the beginning of the third. The outside shot saved the Pistons in Game 2. Its absence for the first half of this game is what led to them trailing by 17 at the start of the third.
• The Pistons went 7-10 from three to close the game. Detroit dug out of its deficit and had a chance to steal it late. The emergence of the three-ball again is what allowed them to do so.
• Detroit had 16 second-chance opportunities to Cleveland’s six. This led to the Pistons outscoring them 19-11 in second-chance points and winning the possession battle overall. Afterward, head coach Kenny Atkinson said the Cavs can’t afford to lose this area, calling getting the victory without having more possessions “unsustainable.”
• The Cavs had 27 points off turnovers to Detroit’s 19. While Cleveland didn’t win the possession battle, they took advantage of the turnovers they forced. The Cavs committed one fewer giveaway than the Pistons.
• Cade Cunningham had eight turnovers. This was an overall good game from Cunningham as he finished with a 27-point triple-double. However, not being able to take care of the ball was an issue.
• Cleveland had a 130.4 offensive rating with Sam Merrill on the floor. He was limited to just 14 minutes as he returned from a hamstring injury. His shooting and off-ball movement helped open up what was a stagnant offense during the first two games of the series.
• The Pistons were outscored by 28 in the 18 minutes Daniss Jenkins played. This was mostly because Detroit registered a 168.4 defensive rating with Jenkins on the floor. It’s dangerous to read too much into single-game plus/minus, but it’s safe to say the Cavs offense was at its best in Jenkins’s minutes.
• The Cavs have held Jalen Duran to 11 or fewer points in all three games. He is a combined 11-26 (42.3%) from the field this series after converting 65% of his shots in the regular season.
• Dean Wade was the only Cavalier starter with a negative plus/minus. The Cavs lost the nearly 17 minutes that Wade was on the floor by six.
• Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined to go 10-10 in the restricted area. The offense is at its best when it’s attacking the basket. The most effective way to do that is to get the bigs involved going downhill. Both were able to make an impact there in the win.
• Ausar Thompson had five assists in a game for the second time this series. He isn’t a threat to score from the outside, but his ability to act as a secondary playmaker when the Cavs cheat off him has been an asset for Detroit. This is why the Pistons have had a functional offense with Thompson on the court this game, despite his limitations on that end.
• James Harden had nine points on 4-5 shooting in the fourth. He had three big shots late to help seal the game, including a triple over Tobias Harris in the final minute.