Every day during the NBA playoffs, the Triple Threat will break down the latest action as we get closer to awarding the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Philadelphia 90, Detroit 86 Well, that wasn't expected. The Sixers hung around early, fell behind, and came back in the second half against what may have been an overconfident Pistons team. Down as much at 15, the Sixers fueled their comeback with defense, giving up just 35 points in the second half. Despite their reputation, Detroit wasn't very clutch. Chauncey Billups missed free throws and even a lay-up late, Tayshaun Prince missed an open shot that would've given them the lead, and Rasheed Wallace missed a game-tying shot in the final seconds. Thus, it suddenly looks like a much different series than what was expected.

LA Lakers 128, Denver 114 The Lakers vaunted offense showed up today, only the star of the show wasn't Kobe Bryant, it was Pau Gasol. Gasol finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists in his first career playoff victory. Not that Kobe was chopped liver. He scored 32, 18 of them in the final eight minutes to keep the Nuggets at bay. Denver kept pace for a half, but everything fell apart after being outscored 39-22 in the third. Of course, the loss might not have been the worst thing to happen to the Nuggets today, after one of their buses caught fire on the way to the Staples Center.

Orlando 114, Toronto 100 Add Dwight Howard to the list of those with impressive playoff debuts: 25 points, 22 rebounds, 5 blocks. The Magic jumped on Toronto early, taking a lead as large as 20 in the first quarter. However, the Raptors rebounded, eventually getting within five with 10:24 remaining. Orlando promptly went on a 10-0 run in the next 3:16 to put it away.

Boston 104, Atlanta 81 This was about what we expected. Rajon Rondo also added his name to the big playoff debut list with nine assists, tying a record for a Celtics playoff debut.

Best Lines

• Pau Gasol, LAL: 36 pts, 14-20, 8-8 FT, 16 rebs, 8 ast, 3 blk
• Dwight Howard, Orl: 25 pts, 8-13 FG, 9-11 FT, 22 rebs, 2 ast, 1 stl, 5 blk
• Andre Iguodala, Phi: 16 pts, 9 rebs, 8 ast

On Tap

Game 2: Washington at Cleveland (7:00, TNT)
Game 2: Utah at Houston (9:30, TNT)

Share your thoughts on Sunday's playoff action.