We’ve arrived at the middle of the conference semifinal round, and the better squads out of the remaining eight teams have started to emerge.
There were two Game 3s Saturday, May 9, the first between the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons and No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers. In the nightcap, the No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers took on the defending NBA champions in the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder.
In both cases, the lower seeds played their first games of their respective series at home, and both looked to avoid falling into debilitating 0-3 deficits.
The Cavaliers did their part, fending off a Pistons rally in the second half to win, 116-109, with guard Donovan Mitchell leading the charge with 35 points.
Here are takeaways from Saturday’s Game 3s from the conference semifinal round:
