Pistons snap NBA playoff skid, vintage Leonard leads Clippers past Nuggets in Denver

Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers drives to the basket against the Denver Nuggets during Round 1 Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2025 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. (Getty Images via AFP)
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Updated 22 April 2025
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Pistons snap NBA playoff skid, vintage Leonard leads Clippers past Nuggets in Denver

  • The Pistons, in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, notched their first playoff victory since Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics
  • Leonard made 15 of his 19 shot attempts and the Clippers withstood NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic’s triple-double

LOS ANGELES: The Detroit Pistons snapped their record 15-game NBA playoff losing streak with a 100-94 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday to level their Eastern Conference first-round series at one game apiece.

Cade Cunningham scored 33 points with 12 rebounds and Dennis Schroder added 20 points off the bench — including a go-ahead three-pointer with 55.7 seconds left — as the Pistons thwarted another Knicks’ rally bid.

The Los Angeles Clippers also bounced back from a Game 1 defeat, beating the Nuggets 105-102 in Denver behind a brilliant 39-point performance from Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard made 15 of his 19 shot attempts and the Clippers withstood NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic’s triple-double of 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to level their Western Conference series at 1-1.

The Pistons, in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, notched their first playoff victory since Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

Two days after the Knicks authored a 21-0 scoring run to rally in Game 1, the Pistons were pushed to the finish in a fast-paced, physical encounter at Madison Square Garden.

They led by as many as 15 in the third quarter, but the Knicks had cut the deficit to eight going into the final period.

New York star Jalen Brunson scored 14 of his 37 points in the fourth and fed Josh Hart for a dunk that tied it at 94-94 with 1:15 to play.

But Schroder answered immediately, drilling a three-pointer that put the Pistons ahead for good.

The Knicks came up empty on three straight possessions while Schroder and Jalen Duren connected at the free-throw line to seal Detroit’s win.

Tobias Harris scored 15 points and pulled down 13 rebounds and Duren had 12 points and 13 boards for the Pistons, who host Game 3 on Thursday.

“Feels good to represent the city like we did tonight,” Cunningham said. “It’s something that the city’s been waiting on 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.”

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was irked at what he considered inconsistent officiating, noting that the Pistons went to the free-throw line 34 times to the Knicks’ 19.

“If Cunningham’s driving and there’s marginal contact and he’s getting to the line, then Jalen (Brunson) deserves to be getting to the line,” Thibodeau said.

It was another pulsating contest in Denver, where the Clippers bounced back from a narrow Game 1 overtime defeat thanks to a vintage performance from Leonard — an NBA champion in 2014 and 2019 who has been hindered by injury in recent seasons.

Leonard set the tone early, making nine of his 10 shots in the first half and sending the Clippers into halftime up 55-52 with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

In a game that featured 18 lead changes, the Nuggets tied it at 100-100 with 2:07 to play on a three-pointer by Murray.

But Norman Powell came up with a steal and drained a three-pointer and Leonard made a jump shot to put the Clippers up 105-102. Leonard stole a Jokic pass with 37.3 seconds left and Los Angeles held on as Christian Braun and Jokic missed in the waning seconds.

“I just kept going and stayed in the zone,” Leonard said. “I didn’t worry about what shots were making or missing. I just kept shooting.”


Desert Vipers eliminate Sharjah Warriorz with 5-wicket win to close ILT20 group stage

Updated 27 December 2025
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Desert Vipers eliminate Sharjah Warriorz with 5-wicket win to close ILT20 group stage

  • The result confirmed the Vipers’ place at the top end of the table, while leaving either Abu Dhabi Knight Riders or Gulf Giants to claim the final playoff berth

SHARJAH: Desert Vipers ended the Sharjah Warriorz’ playoff hopes with a five-wicket victory in their final International League T20 group-stage match at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, becoming the first team to win eight games in a single group phase.

The result confirmed the Vipers’ place at the top end of the table, while leaving either Abu Dhabi Knight Riders or Gulf Giants to claim the final playoff berth when they meet in the last league fixture on Sunday.

The winner of Saturday’s clash between MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals will finish in the top two.

After being sent in the Warriorz were restricted to 140 for seven, with Naseem Shah and Qais Ahmad leading a disciplined bowling effort. Naseem finished with three wickets, while early strikes from David Payne and Khuzaima Tanveer left the hosts reeling at 6 for two.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles rebuilt through the powerplay, adding 61 runs for the third wicket, but the innings lost momentum once Kohler-Cadmore was bowled by Naseem in the 10th over.

Qais then struck twice in quick succession, dismissing Charles for 43 and removing captain Sikandar Raza for a golden duck, reducing the Warriorz to 79 for five.

James Rew and Ryan Burl attempted to stabilize the innings, but the Vipers closed strongly, with Naseem striking again late on to ensure the Warriorz failed to reach a competitive total.

The chase began shakily as Raza and Richard Ngarava reduced the Vipers to 28 for two inside the powerplay, removing Fakhar Zaman and Andries Gous.

Max Holden and Sam Curran steadied the innings with a measured 64-run partnership, absorbing pressure before gradually lifting the run rate.

Harmeet Singh briefly revived the Warriorz’ hopes with wickets in the middle overs, including Curran and later Dan Lawrence and Jason Roy, but Holden remained composed throughout.

His unbeaten 66 from 46 balls anchored the chase, before Hasan Nawaz’s brisk 25 from 14 deliveries ensured the Vipers crossed the line with overs to spare.

Vipers captain Curran said the win was an ideal way to close the group stage.

“It was really pleasing to get a win heading into the qualifier. We adjusted to the conditions very well. Max played a superb innings, and Hasan finished it off nicely with some big strikes at the end. We’ve had a fantastic season overall, winning eight out of ten matches,” he said.

Sharjah Warriorz skipper Raza reflected on a disappointing campaign, saying: “Pretty much everything that could go wrong for us did go wrong this season. Had we played those key moments slightly better in a few of our games, we would have qualified already.

“On these wickets, 150 was a competitive total and we rarely got there, which is the most painful part.”