Winners and losers from Tuesday's NBA playoff action

Chet Holmgren , Oklahoma City Thunder

The Lakers consciously tried to make someone other than MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander beat them in Game 1. Chet Holmgren embraced the challenge, putting up a team-high 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks as OKC won, 108-90.

On a night when the Lakers managed to force SGA into seven turnovers and limited him to 15 shots, Holmgren picked up the slack, sinking both of his threes to boot.

J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons

In his first game on the bench after signing a contract extension, Pistons head coach Bickerstaff pushed all the right buttons in his Game 1 win. Ron Holland II barely played in the first round, but he contributed six points in 10 minutes and had a plus/minus of +8 Tuesday night. Bickerstaff rode with Daniss Jenkins for 29 minutes, who had 12 points and seven rebounds plus a big dunk to end the game.

It's been an impressive week for Bickerstaff, who has now won four straight games, including an epic Game 6 comeback, all while keeping his team disciplined and playing together in the face of adversity.

Losers

Fatigued teams

The Thunder were the only team to sweep their opening series, getting past the Phoenix Suns in four games. They'd had eight days off before Game 1 against the Lakers, who clearly ran out of gas, scoring only 37 points after halftime. They might have been fresher if L.A. could have finished off the Houston Rockets in four games, instead of six.

That seemed to hurt the Cavaliers after their seven-game battle with the Toronto Raptors, though the Pistons also played a seven-gamer. The difference may have been the Pistons' younger wing players. 20-year-old Holland 23-year-old Ausar Thompson and 24-year-old Jenkins all provided defensive energy — Jenkins collected four steals — against a backcourt of Harden and Donovan Mitchell that looked weary by the end of the game.

Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers

Allen was the hero in the Cavaliers' Game 7 win over the Toronto Raptors. He scored 22 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked three shots, looking dominant. Once Allen got his third foul halfway through the first quarter, he essentially disappeared from Game 1. He finished with only two points and three rebounds in what could have been a winnable game with just a little more from Allen.

Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers

Reaves deserves credit for rushing back from his oblique strain in just four weeks, but he did not look comfortable during Game 1. Of course, the Thunder's defense makes a lot of opposing guards look uncomfortable.

The Lakers guard had more turnovers (four) than made baskets (three) in the loss, shooting 3-of-16 and finishing with eight points. With Luka Doncic unlikely to return, LeBron James desperately needs Reaves to provide offensive support and outside shooting if the Lakers are going to pull off a huge upset.