The Los Angeles Clippers levelled their first-round NBA playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 105-102 win.
Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points for the Clippers, who lost Game 1 in overtime but haven’t lost back-to-back games since March, a stretch of 23 games.
KAWHI LEONARD WAS EVERYWHERE IN THE FINAL MINUTE!!
Game-icing bucket 🧊
Elite defense in multiple places 🔒CLIPPERS WIN TO EVEN THE SERIES 1-1 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QXPSQx159x
— NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2025
Nikola Jokic, just the third player to average a triple-double over a season, had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and Jamal Murray added 23 points for the Nuggets. But Jokic had an uncharacteristic seven turnovers and missed four of 10 free throws.
The Clippers rolled into the playoffs as the league’s hottest team, winning their last eight games and 18 of their final 21 before losing Game 1 on Saturday night 112-110.
The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night.
Pistons pump Knicks
Cade Cunningham had 33 points and 12 rebounds and Dennis Schroder made a tiebreaking three-pointer with 55 seconds left as the Detroit Pistons snapped their 15-game postseason losing streak by beating the New York Knicks 100-94.
“It’s a great feeling. It feels good to represent the city like we did tonight,” Cunningham said. “It’s something that the city been waiting on for a long time, so we feel good about it and we’re ready to get back to the crib and perform in front of them.”
🏆 PLAYOFF BRACKET 🏆
▪️ DET, LAC even series 1-1 heading back home
The #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google continue Tuesday with 3 Game 2's on NBA TV & TNT! pic.twitter.com/VaeNRpQnjf
— NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2025
The Pistons, who hadn’t even been to the postseason since 2019, have tied the series and will host Game 3 on Thursday night.
The Pistons engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history this season, going 44-38 after a 14-win season in 2023-24 that included a 28-game losing streak, teh longest ever in a single season.
“We got bigger things we’re out here for,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “So our focus, and that’s why our guys have been able to grow and be consistent, because they just think about the now and I thought they did a great job tonight of staying in the moment and doing what we needed to do.”
