Three of four home favorites held serve in the NBA Game Ones Sunday. Oklahoma City beat Phoenix 119-84, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 25 points and Chet Holmgren's 16 rebounds and blocks combined. [1] Boston routed Philadelphia 123-91, a 35-point lead at its peak, Jaylen Brown 26 and Jayson Tatum 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists in his first playoff game since rupturing his right Achilles last May 12. [1] San Antonio beat Portland 111-98.
The one that didn't hold was Detroit — the home team in the opening night's marquee series and the subject of the paper's Monday lead on Pistons basketball. Orlando took Game 1 at Little Caesars, Banchero 23, Cunningham 25, the longest active home postseason losing streak in the NBA extending to a number no fan in Michigan wants to say out loud.
The divergence lives in the Tatum game. MSM ran it as an injury-comeback story; the Celtics beat writers at the Globe and the Herald spent their ink on the 32 minutes he played, the 21 points he put up before halftime. [2] [3] X connected it to the longer ledger — Durant, Cousins, Leonard — of Achilles-rupture recoveries that reshaped careers. At 27, with ten months and six days from tear to double-double, Tatum's line is the strongest Game 1 any of them posted. Boston's 64-46 halftime lead was Philadelphia's largest playoff deficit at the break against the Celtics since 1982.
Game 2 is Tuesday. The other series resume Wednesday. [3]
-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos