Defending champion Oklahoma City did not falter in outclassing the Los Angeles Lakers (108-90), despite LeBron James' 27 points, and Detroit dominated Cleveland (111-101), Tuesday in the NBA conference semi-finals.

A balanced offensive performance and an ironclad defense allowed the Thunder to seal the victory and take the lead in the series (1 win to 0) against a weakened Lakers team, still without Luka Doncic, who is injured in the adductors.

The Lakers started the game well but were then led for the last three quarters by Oklahoma City, who had won all four of their regular season games against the Californians, winning each game by nearly 30 points on average (29.3 points to be precise).

Chet Holmgren led the Thunder with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell added 18 points each.

The Thunder (No. 1 in the regular season) also limited the Lakers (who finished 4th in the Western Conference) to their lowest playoff points total since 2021.

"We're simply trying to force opponents to play out of their comfort zone, it's as simple as that," Gilgeous-Alexander said of the Thunder's defense.

LeBron James, who defied his 41 years to lead the Lakers to a surprise 4-2 victory over the Houston Rockets in the first round, was once again Los Angeles' leading scorer with 27 points. Rui Hachimura added 18 points and Marcus Smart 12.

"When you face the 'world champions', the margin for error is not very large... and there were too many mistakes tonight. We need to correct that," lamented Lakers coach JJ Redick.

- Cleveland is eye-catching -

In the other game played Tuesday, Cade Cunningham scored 23 points and Detroit resisted a second-half Cleveland comeback to preserve their 111-101 victory in their first Eastern Conference semifinal game.

The Pistons, the top seed in the East, seemed headed for an easy victory and led by 17 points in the third quarter. But Cleveland, tenacious as ever, refused to give up and closed the gap to four points before Detroit finally pulled away.

In addition to Cade Cunningham's 23 points, Tobias Harris added 20 points, while Duncan Robinson sank five three-pointers for 19. For Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell led the way with 23 points, while James Harden contributed 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.

"We have an excellent system in place. There's always someone to take over when you're tired," Cunningham noted on NBC. "But it's just one win; you have to come back and do it again."

Detroit struggled mightily to reach the conference semifinals after overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat Orlando 4-3 in the first round. The Pistons are determined to avoid a repeat performance: "At home, you have to protect your court. We didn't do that in the last series, so we want to do it this time," Cunningham continued.