Cavaliers 116‑109, Thunder 131‑108 in Playoff Game 3
SkimNews Take
Cleveland needed Harden's final-minute three to escape a top-seeded Pistons team, revealing how regular-season dominance can mask thin playoff margins, while the Lakers' continued reliance on an unreliable Ayton shows how a single positional weakness caps what an otherwise deep rotation can achieve.
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- Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 116‑109 in Game 3, narrowing the series to 2‑1.
- Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 35 points and 10 rebounds, while James Harden added 19 points, seven assists, and hit a go‑ahead three‑pointer with 25.9 seconds left.
- Detroit Pistons out‑rebounded Cleveland 17‑5 on the offensive glass but posted a lower effective field‑goal percentage (≈50 %) and points per 100 possessions (≈90) than Cleveland (≈114), leading to the loss.
- Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 131‑108, staying unbeaten in the postseason and positioning themselves for a sweep in Game 4.
- Ajay Mitchell (Thunder) posted 62 points on 24‑of‑45 shooting and 20 assists, matching Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander’s series totals and highlighting the Thunder’s depth.
- Deandre Ayton (Lakers) was stripped of his minutes after a poor defensive showing (one rebound, no points in the paint) and was replaced by rookie Adou Thiero, underscoring the Lakers’ center rotation woes.
- Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers coach) warned that the team’s reliance on high efficiency despite a weak possession game is “not sustainable.”
Why it matters: Cleveland’s win keeps its series alive and forces Detroit to confront inefficient shooting despite dominating the boards, while Oklahoma City’s dominant performance cements its path to a sweep and highlights the Lakers’ fragile center rotation, suggesting a possible roster overhaul.
