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.
Advertisement
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:
1 / 9
Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style
The NBA playoffs bring out more than high‑stakes basketball, as stars showcase their sneaker style on the league’s biggest stage.
See the coolest kicks worn during the 2026 NBA Playoffs, where footwear becomes part of the spotlight.
Above, The shoes of Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks are seen during the first half of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.
1 / 9
Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style
The NBA playoffs bring out more than high‑stakes basketball, as stars showcase their sneaker style on the league’s biggest stage.
See the coolest kicks worn during the 2026 NBA Playoffs, where footwear becomes part of the spotlight.
Above, The shoes of Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks are seen during the first half of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.
2 / 9
Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style
The shoes of Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks are seen before Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.
3 / 9
Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style
The shoes of Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks are seen during the third quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.
4 / 9
Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style
Shoes worn by Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter during Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Ball Arena on April 18, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.
5 / 9
Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style
The Nike Lebron XXIII shoes worn by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) against the Houston Rockets in the first half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, at Crypto.com Arena.
6 / 9
Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style
Shoes worn by Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter during Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Ball Arena on April 18, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.
7 / 9
Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 18: The shoes of Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks are seen during the first half of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
8 / 9
Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style
The shoes of Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks are seen during the third quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.
9 / 9
Coolest kicks of the NBA playoffs as stars show their sneaker style
The shoes of Jonathan Kuminga #0 of the Atlanta Hawks are seen during the third quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 2026, in New York City.
Re-affirming the general vibe in the East, the Knicks remain the team to beat
No team is playing better hoops in the Eastern Conference than the New York Knicks, who are rolling through the 76ers, even as OG Anunoby is battling a hamstring issue that forced him out of Game 3 Friday, May 8.
Advertisement
While New York is excelling on both offense and defense, the Pistons have some vulnerabilities that have been exposed over the postseason. For one, All-Star center Jalen Duren (11 points and 4 rebounds in 29:17 on the floor Saturday) has become a role player, and is simply not a reliable No. 3 option, let alone a No. 2 threat.
In fact, his backup, Paul Reed (11 points and 3 rebounds in 9:46 on the floor) nearly matched Duren’s production in nearly 20 fewer minutes on the court. The Pistons lost 116-109.
The Cavaliers need the James Harden from the final two minutes of Game 3
James Harden did nail a trio of massive buckets inside the final two minutes Saturday — a step-back jumper, a floater in the lane and a step-back 3 to score 7 consecutive points for Cleveland in the clutch — but the Cavaliers cannot simply rely on Donovan Mitchell carrying this team back into the series with 35-pieces every game.
Advertisement
But consider this: prior to the final 1:29 of the game, Harden was sitting on just 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Harden does deserve credit for not forcing shots and letting the game come to him, but a dose of aggression earlier in these games will go a long way to tying the series up.
Coach Kenny Atkinson did show an immense amount of trust in Harden by putting the ball in his hands down the stretch. The Cavs should hope it can carry over into Game 4.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham battle for position during Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals May 09, 2026. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
In make-or-miss league, Pistons need to find other outlets of offense
Like many teams, when the shots are dropping for Detroit, it can be tough to beat. Also like many teams, when they’re not falling, the Pistons can be vulnerable.
Advertisement
In the first half, the Pistons shot just 2-of-14 (14.3%) from 3-point range. And while Detroit was fortunate to catch fire and hit 7-of-11 (63.6%) from deep in the second half, a 16-point deficit at the half proved to be too much to overcome.
This has been Detroit’s weakness all season long, so the Pistons need to find ways to generate easier looks in transition to help open up the 3-point shooting.
On Saturday, both teams committed 15 turnovers. Yet, the Cavaliers turned those giveaways into 27 points, while Detroit produced only 19.
The Cavaliers are a perfect 5-0 at home this postseason. They need to do it on the road, too.
Cleveland’s inability this postseason to win away from the Rocket Arena is a significant concern. Granted, the Cavs obviously need to take care of Detroit in Game 4 to make this a series. But the Cavaliers have struggled to find offense outside of Cleveland.
Advertisement
In five home games this playoffs, Cleveland is averaging 119.2 points per game. On the road, that number plummets to just 100.2.
On Saturday, the Cavaliers shot the ball at an absurd 58.1% clip. In order to have any shot to come back and make a run, Cleveland needs to perform on the road.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA scores, takeaways from today’s playoff games: James Harden clutch?