Pistons and Raptors survive while LA Lakers progress in NBA playoffs

Pistons equine astounding comeback against Magic, Lakers yet spot disconnected Houston, Raptors acceptable up decider against Cavs.

The top-seeded Detroit Pistons recovered from the brink of elimination with an astounding comeback against Orlando, while the Los Angeles Lakers yet saw disconnected Houston astatine the third clip of asking successful the NBA playoffs.

The Pistons’ come-from-behind triumph connected Friday took their bid with the Magic to a decisive Game 7, portion the Toronto Raptors besides acceptable up a decider against Cleveland acknowledgment to an overtime thriller triumph.

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Up 3-2 successful the bid against Detroit and seeking a close-out victory, the Magic had led by arsenic galore arsenic 24 points earlier their shooting abruptly collapsed and the Pistons took afloat advantage.

A shell-shocked Orlando missed 23 consecutive tract goals – the longest streak successful playoff past – and scored conscionable 1 constituent successful much than 10 minutes of basketball, arsenic the Pistons sealed a 93-79 win.

“Never accidental die, elemental arsenic that. I mean, Detroit grit, it’s what we’ve been talking astir each year,” said Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, who led the scoring with 32 points and 10 rebounds.

Having been down 3-1 successful the series, the Pistons had looked acceptable to go conscionable the seventh apical effect successful NBA past to suffer successful the archetypal circular to their conference’s bottommost seed.

But they present person a accidental to triumph the bid backmost successful Detroit connected Sunday.

After an adjacent archetypal quarter, Orlando went connected a blistery streak, earlier the unit of closing retired their archetypal playoff bid triumph since 2010 seemed to footwear in.

Boos rained down connected the tribunal arsenic a 71-54 Magic vantage was transformed into an 80-72 Detroit lead.

The Pistons, having dominated the regular season, volition present beryllium favourites to assertion their ain archetypal playoff bid triumph since 2008.

“Thank God we get to instrumentality this backmost to the crib. It’s gonna beryllium large successful Detroit, and we got to decorativeness our business,” said Cunningham, who scored 19 successful the 4th quarter.

Raptors instrumentality Cavs to Game 7

If Detroit scope the Eastern semifinal, they volition play either the Cleveland Cavaliers oregon the Raptors, whose bid besides stands 3-3 aft an overtime Toronto win.

Playing astatine home, the Raptors led astir of the nighttime earlier the Cavaliers powered backmost successful the 4th fourth to acceptable up an aggravated finish.

Leading by 2 points with little than a infinitesimal remaining, Toronto handed Cleveland a lifeline with a shot-clock violation.

Evan Mobley forced his mode done the Raptors’ defence to necktie up the crippled 104-104, and Toronto’s Jamal Shead conscionable missed a instrumentality changeable astatine the extremity of regulation.

In overtime, Cleveland nudged successful beforehand and led by 1 constituent until the last fewer seconds.

But RJ Barrett’s three-pointer leap changeable bounced disconnected the bottommost of the rim, looped up successful the aerial and dropped done the nett to seal the Toronto win.

“Glory beryllium to God, man. I didn’t marque thing successful the 4th quarter, overtime, I was playing atrocious … convey God, I was capable to marque that shot,” said Barrett.

Game 7 volition beryllium played successful Cleveland connected Sunday.

RJ Barrett drives to the handbasket against Dean Wade [Cole Burston/Getty Images via AFP]

‘Close-out situation’

The Lakers, having led their bid against Houston 3-0, had doubly wobbled to let the Rockets to get backmost to 3-2.

But LeBron James’ men killed disconnected the bid with a comfy 98-78 triumph to acceptable up a Western semifinal against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning NBA champions.

James top-scored with 28 points, positive 8 assists and 7 rebounds, continuing his good postseason signifier astatine the property of 41.

The triumph spared the Lakers’ blushes. A nonaccomplishment would person near them 1 decision distant from being the archetypal squad successful NBA past to squander a 3-0 playoff lead.

“A batch of our guys, rather frankly, person not been successful this position, person not been successful a close-out situation, particularly connected the road, truthful it was important for maine to spell retired and acceptable the tone,” said James.