Paolo Banchero poured in 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Orlando controlled the entire game to shock Detroit 112-101 in the opening contest of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchup on Sunday.
The Magic demonstrated remarkable balance with all five starters reaching at least 16 points. Franz Wagner contributed 19 points along with five rebounds and four assists, while both Wendell Carter Jr. and Desmond Bane added 17 points and five assists each. Jalen Suggs rounded out the stellar starting performance with 16 points, four assists and three steals.
Detroit’s playoff struggles at home continued as they extended their losing streak in home playoff contests to 11 games, stretching back to the 2008 Eastern Conference finals.
Cade Cunningham put up a valiant effort for the Pistons with 39 points, but received little help from his teammates. Tobias Harris was Detroit’s only other player to reach double digits with 17 points. All-Star center Jalen Duren struggled significantly, managing just eight points and seven rebounds on only four shot attempts despite playing 33 minutes. Orlando connected on 48.9% of their field goal attempts while holding Detroit to a poor 40.3% shooting performance.
Thunder 119, Suns 84
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted 25 points to lead Oklahoma City past Phoenix in a dominant Game 1 victory in their Western Conference first-round matchup.
Despite shooting just 5 of 18 from the floor, Gilgeous-Alexander made 15 of 17 free throw attempts and distributed a game-high seven assists. Jalen Williams chipped in 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in only 29 minutes of action, while Chet Holmgren added 16 points.
Phoenix struggled throughout, shooting only 34.9% from the field. Devin Booker paced the Suns with 23 points, while Dillon Brooks contributed 18 and Jalen Green scored 17. Oklahoma City capitalized on Phoenix’s mistakes, converting 19 turnovers into 34 points.
Celtics 123, 76ers 91
Jaylen Brown tallied a game-leading 26 points while Jayson Tatum recorded 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as Boston dominated Philadelphia in their Eastern Conference first-round series opener.
Sam Hauser connected on 4 of 6 three-point attempts for 12 points to help the second-seeded Celtics, who maintained their lead throughout the contest. Neemias Queta battled foul issues but managed 13 points in just 15 minutes on the court.
The seventh-seeded 76ers got 21 points and eight assists from Tyrese Maxey and 17 points from Paul George. Philadelphia shot 38.9% overall and struggled from beyond the arc, making only 4 of 23 three-point attempts (17.4%). The 76ers also turned the ball over 15 times, allowing Boston to outscore them 22-3 in points off turnovers.
Spurs 111, Trail Blazers 98
Victor Wembanyama exploded for 35 points in his first playoff appearance as San Antonio defeated Portland in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series.
Wembanyama surpassed Tim Duncan’s franchise record of 32 points set in 1998 for a playoff debut. He scored 21 first-half points, establishing a league record for most points in the opening half of an NBA playoff debut since 1997 when play-by-play tracking began. Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox each added 17 points for San Antonio, with Devin Vassell contributing 15 and Luke Kornet scoring 10.
Deni Avdija led Portland with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Scoot Henderson added 18 points, Robert Williams III scored 11, Shaedon Sharpe contributed 10, and Jrue Holiday dished out 11 assists while adding nine points.
