Kawhi in ‘computer game mode’ as Simmons experiment ‘worked’; Knicks’ ‘baffling’ choice in loss — NBA Playoffs Wrap

There wasn’t much the Nuggets could do about that one.

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Kawhi Leonard put on a historically efficient 39-point performance as the Los Angeles Clippers also bounced back from a game-one defeat, beating the Nuggets 105-102 in Denver.

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.

With it, Leonard became just the fifth player in playoff history to score 39-plus points while shooting over 78.9 per cent from the field.

Nuggets commentator Scott Hastings said it was “almost unfair” in commentary as Leonard hit shot after shot, adding the Clippers star was operating in “computer game mode”.

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.

Meanwhile, Ben Simmons was impactful in two, short four-minute stints off the bench with Clippers coach Ty Lue telling reporters “it was good” for the team.

“It worked tonight, so we’ll see going forward what happens,” he added.

Simmons was brought into the game halfway through the first quarter to guard Jokic and while that is one of the toughest tasks in the NBA, he did well staying active and engaged while using his length to make the Nuggets take tricky shots.

Simmons made an impact on offence too, combining with James Harden as he rolled to the rim for the finish and his first playoff bucket since that infamous Atlanta series.

Simmons then cut to the rim on the next possession, throwing his hands in the air as Norman Powell opted against passing the ball to him.

While the ball didn’t get to Simmons, it was a sign of just how engaged he was early in Tuesday’s game, although he didn’t last much longer with Ty Lue pulling him after four minutes.

Simmons then got another four minutes late in the third quarter, capitalising on a Nuggets turnover as he found Kris Dunn with an outlet pass for the dunk.

KNICKS’ USE OF $50M MAN UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT AFTER LOSS

Earlier, the New York Knicks’ use of Karl-Anthony Towns came under the spotlight after the Detroit Pistons snapped their NBA-record 15-game playoff losing streak with a 100-94 victory to level their Eastern Conference first-round series at one game apiece.

Cade Cunningham scored 33 points and grabbed 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 the Knicks’ rally bid.

The Pistons, in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, notched their first playoff victory since game four 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 one, 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 to 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 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.

Mikal Bridges scored 19 for the Knicks as Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby were held to 10 apiece.

Towns was held scoreless in the second half and while he was the subject of some criticism, the general consensus seemed to be that the Knicks needed to find a way to get him more involved moving forward.

“Just trying to have the game do what it does, just executing what we talked about,” Towns said after the game when asked about not getting any shots in the fourth quarter.

“Thought we got some great shots, some great looks, especially when we fought back in that game.”

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, meanwhile, said he closed the first half with Mitchell Robinson over Towns because he was the “one guy rebounding” and singled out the lack of work on the boards as a key difference between the two teams.

The Knicks traded for Towns in October last year. He is under contract until 2026-27, with a $61 million player option in 2027-28 and is earning $49.2 million this season.