Inexperienced Pistons, like veteran Clippers, know there's no time for hanging heads before Game 2s

NEW YORK (AP) — The Detroit Pistons could have sounded shaken, after a few miserable minutes against the New York Knicks ruined an otherwise solid return to the postseason.

Same with the Los Angeles Clippers, who played beautiful basketball down the stretch of the regular season but not in their series opener against Denver.

Yet whether it's a team filled with playoff newcomers such as the Pistons, or a group of tested veterans such as the Clippers, everyone knows the rules at this time of the year. There's no time for hanging heads or dwelling on disappointments.

The next game comes quickly and all that matters is being ready when it arrives.

“It's even keel,” Clippers All-Star said James Harden said. “We will come back in Game 2 and be even better.”

That comes Monday night in Denver, after the Knicks try to take a 2-0 lead over the Pistons in the opener of the doubleheader.

Harden and Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers' leaders, along with coach Tyronn Lue, have been part of many deep playoff runs. So they were not going to let their 112-110 overtime loss on Saturday linger. They just figure they will clean up the 20 turnovers they committed and be fine.

Most of the Pistons don't have that kind of experience to lean on. Detroit is in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, but the 21-0 run the Knicks hit them with in the fourth quarter of their 123-112 victory didn't have anyone fearing they weren't ready for the moment.

Instead, the Pistons focused on the way they played in building an eight-point lead before then and said their confidence had only grown.

“All-time high. We're in the playoffs, we know what time it is," forward Tobias Harris said. "We don't have anybody in there pouting or holding their head down. We know what we're made of, we know we work so hard for every single day of the year of this season. We're ready for Game 2.”

When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 7:30 p.m. EDT (TNT)

Series: Knicks lead, 1-0.

BetMGM says: Knicks by 6.5

What to Know: The Pistons' NBA-record losing streak in the postseason is now at 15 games, with Detroit's last victory in Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference finals. Star guard Cade Cunningham had 21 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in his first playoff game, but OG Anunoby and the Knicks defense limited him to 8-for-21 shooting. He averaged 30.8 points on 56.3% shooting against the Knicks this season, and had gone for 32 per game in his previous four visits to Madison Square Garden. Jalen Brunson appeared to be hobbling in the third quarter after tweaking his ankle, but said after scoring 34 points that he felt fine.

When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 10 p.m. EDT (TNT)

Series: Nuggets lead, 1-0

BetMGM says: Clippers by 1.5

What to Know: Denver is 4-0 since firing Michael Malone and replacing him with interim coach David Adelman. The Clippers, meanwhile, had won eight in a row and 18 of 21 before blowing a 15-point lead in the opener. They will now try to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time since a three-game skid from Feb. 28 to March 4. The teams both went 50-32 in the regular season, when they split their four meetings, and was almost nothing between them in Game 1. The Clippers made two more field goals and had one more assist, while the Nuggets outrebounded them by one. Nikola Jokic, after averaging a triple-double during the regular season, just missed one with 29 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.

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Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, right, looks to pass the ball as Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, left, defends in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, center, goes up for a basket between Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, left, and guard Russell Westbrook in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) shoots past Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) during the first half of Game 1 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) falls as Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) shoots during the second half of Game 1 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, right, drives past Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12), right, attempts to dribble past New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3), left, during the second half of Game 1 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, passes the ball as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic defends in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) falls during the second half of Game 1 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s motorcade took a different route than usual to the airport as he was departing Florida on Sunday due to a “suspicious object,” according to the White House.

The object, which the White House did not describe, was discovered during security sweeps in advance of Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport.

“A further investigation was warranted and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday.

The president, when asked about the package by reporters, said, “I know nothing about it.”

Trump left his Palm Beach, Florida, club, Mar-a-Lago, around 6:20 p.m. for the roughly 10-minute drive to the airport, but took a circular route around the city to get there.

During the drive, police officers on motorcycles created a moving blockade for the motorcade, at one point almost colliding with the vans that accompanied Trump.

Air Force One was parked on the opposite side of the airport from where it is usually located and the lights outside the plane were turned off.

Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman for U.S. Secret Service, said the secondary route was taken just as a precaution and that “that is standard protocol.”

President Donald Trump departs Trump International Golf Club in the presidential limousine, known as The Beast, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)