By Oliver Carter
Thursday night saw two teams jump out to a 2-0 series lead as the LA Lakers lost on the road to the OKC Thunder and the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland Cavaliers v Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons took down the Cleveland Cavaliers 97-107 in game two of their Eastern Conference second-round matchup.
The game took place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Cade Cunningham and the Pistons, the Eastern Conference first seed, take a 2-0 series lead over Donovan Mitchell and the fourth-seed Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers took a three-point lead off their first shot of the game, a lead that would be their largest of the game, after pulling ahead in the first quarter the Pistons grew their lead.
First quarter
Detroit won the first quarter 18-25 before continuing to push the lead even further to a game-high 14 points late in the second quarter.
The Pistons held a 43-54 lead at the half; however, they began to slip in the third, as they were outscored by seven points and briefly let the Cavaliers take the lead early in the fourth quarter.
This lead was short-lived as the Pistons rallied back and regained the lead, a lead they would hold onto closing the game out to win by 10 points.
Cleveland are yet to win a game on the road, having lost all three games in Toronto during their first-round matchup, and now having dropped both games in Detroit.
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LA Lakers v OKC Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have also extended to a 2-0 series lead as they took down LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in Paycom Center, Oklahoma.
While the reigning champions take another step towards retaining the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the story of the game was the officiating.
As this game progressed both teams had multiple players in foul trouble, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander picking up four fouls before the fourth quarter, limiting his minutes.
Gilgeous-Alexander also picked up a flagrant foul alongside Alex Caruso, who was given a technical foul for complaining to the referees.
Hard done by
However, the Lakers were the team who felt hard done by, and as the game progressed the Lakers players started to become clearly frustrated with the officiating claiming multiple uncalled fouls.
After the game ended, Austin Reaves and other members of the Lakers roster crowded the officials, engaging in a heated argument.
When asked postgame, Reaves spoke about his frustrations coming from an exchange with referee John Goble.
Reaves said: “When we were doing the whole tip ball, they were switching spots.
“I wanted to get on the other side because they had a guy on the other side. We were just trying to keep an advantage. He turned around and just yelled in my face.
“I just thought it was disrespectful… but at the end of the day, we’re grown men and I just didn’t feel like he needed to yell in my face like that. I told him that. I wasn’t disrespectful, I told him if I did that to him first, I would have got a tech.
“I felt the only reason I didn’t get a tech was he knew he was in the wrong.”
Reaves on a roll
Lakers head coach JJ Redick said “I have never seen a superstar with a worse whistle”, referring to Lebron James and the calls the Lakers feel they deserved.
Despite the officiating, Reaves led the game in scoring with 31 points and six assists, James added 23 points, six assists and three steals.
Chet Holmgren led the way for OKC stuffing the stat sheet with 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks.
Gilgous-Alexander struggled with just 22 points and two assists – the Lakers have been very effective IN limiting the reigning MVP’s effectiveness so far this series.
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Geoffrey H. Latayan