NEW YORK (AP) — The Detroit Pistons could have sounded shaken, after a few miserable minutes against the New York Knicks ruined an otherwise solid return to the postseason.
Same with the Los Angeles Clippers, who played beautiful basketball down the stretch of the regular season but not in their series opener against Denver.
Yet whether it's a team filled with playoff newcomers such as the Pistons, or a group of tested veterans such as the Clippers, everyone knows the rules at this time of the year. There's no time for hanging heads or dwelling on disappointments.
The next game comes quickly and all that matters is being ready when it arrives.
“It's even keel,” Clippers All-Star said James Harden said. “We will come back in Game 2 and be even better.”
That comes Monday night in Denver, after the Knicks try to take a 2-0 lead over the Pistons in the opener of the doubleheader.
Harden and Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers' leaders, along with coach Tyronn Lue, have been part of many deep playoff runs. So they were not going to let their 112-110 overtime loss on Saturday linger. They just figure they will clean up the 20 turnovers they committed and be fine.
Most of the Pistons don't have that kind of experience to lean on. Detroit is in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, but the 21-0 run the Knicks hit them with in the fourth quarter of their 123-112 victory didn't have anyone fearing they weren't ready for the moment.
Instead, the Pistons focused on the way they played in building an eight-point lead before then and said their confidence had only grown.
“All-time high. We're in the playoffs, we know what time it is," forward Tobias Harris said. "We don't have anybody in there pouting or holding their head down. We know what we're made of, we know we work so hard for every single day of the year of this season. We're ready for Game 2.”
Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks
When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 7:30 p.m. EDT (TNT)
Series: Knicks lead, 1-0.
BetMGM says: Knicks by 6.5
What to Know: The Pistons' NBA-record losing streak in the postseason is now at 15 games, with Detroit's last victory in Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference finals. Star guard Cade Cunningham had 21 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in his first playoff game, but OG Anunoby and the Knicks defense limited him to 8-for-21 shooting. He averaged 30.8 points on 56.3% shooting against the Knicks this season, and had gone for 32 per game in his previous four visits to Madison Square Garden. Jalen Brunson appeared to be hobbling in the third quarter after tweaking his ankle, but said after scoring 34 points that he felt fine.
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets
When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 10 p.m. EDT (TNT)
Series: Nuggets lead, 1-0
BetMGM says: Clippers by 1.5
What to Know: Denver is 4-0 since firing Michael Malone and replacing him with interim coach David Adelman. The Clippers, meanwhile, had won eight in a row and 18 of 21 before blowing a 15-point lead in the opener. They will now try to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time since a three-game skid from Feb. 28 to March 4. The teams both went 50-32 in the regular season, when they split their four meetings, and was almost nothing between them in Game 1. The Clippers made two more field goals and had one more assist, while the Nuggets outrebounded them by one. Nikola Jokic, after averaging a triple-double during the regular season, just missed one with 29 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.
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