Four more Game 1s, and the story wrote itself clean: the favorites came, saw, and mostly demolished. Jayson Tatum returned to the postseason from a torn Achilles and dropped 25 points with 21 in the first half alone, as Boston blew out Philadelphia by 32. Oklahoma City opened its title defense with a 35-point rout of Phoenix. Victor Wembanyama turned in the most points ever scored by a Spur in a playoff debut, torching Portland for 33. And Orlando continued its remarkable post-play-in run by stealing Game 1 in Detroit — the only result of the weekend that deviated from the chalk, and the one that matters most heading into Game 2.

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Boston Celtics 123, Philadelphia 76ers 91

The first thing Jayson Tatum did in his return to the playoffs — one year after rupturing his Achilles — was catch a pass at the rim, absorb contact, and throw down an emphatic two-handed dunk. TD Garden erupted. The Celtics, who never trailed in this game, went up 33-18 after the first quarter and made it academic before halftime.

Tatum finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists in just his 17th game of the season following surgery — scoring 21 of those points in the first half alone, attacking Maxey's closeouts off the mid-range, making every decision efficiently, and looking every bit like a player who missed nothing during his recovery. Jaylen Brown's 26 points — including 16 in the third quarter to end any remaining suspense — gave Boston a lethal co-headliner. Brown went 7-of-9 in the third, punctuating the game with a steal-to-three that rebuilt the lead to 21 after Philadelphia had briefly made it interesting early in the period. Boston used 12 players and never blinked, shooting 50 percent from the floor and hitting 16 threes. The margin of 32 points was the largest by the Celtics in their postseason history to open a series.

For Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points and 8 assists in a workmanlike effort, and Paul George added 13. But the 76ers, still without Joel Embiid following his appendectomy on April 9, shot 4-of-23 from three — a 17.4 percent clip that tells the full story of their night. Their interior protection was compromised early by foul trouble on both Adem Bona and Andre Drummond, and Boston exploited the gaps relentlessly. The Sixers had 8 first-half turnovers and went to halftime trailing 64-46 with no real path back.

Boston leads the series 1-0. Game 2 is Tuesday in Boston.

BOS 123 · PHI 91

Oklahoma City Thunder 119, Phoenix Suns 84

The defending champions made a statement. OKC jumped on Phoenix early — converting four Suns turnovers into a 17-2 run in the first quarter that built a lead the Suns never threatened — and then methodically widened it every time Phoenix showed any sign of life. The final margin was 35 points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 25 points, going just 5-of-18 from the field but 15-of-17 at the foul line — setting postseason career highs in free throws made and attempted — before sitting out the fourth quarter entirely. He didn't need to be efficient shooting the ball because the Thunder's defense never let Phoenix get comfortable enough to make the game close. Jalen Williams added 22 points and 6 assists running the offense whenever SGA was off the ball, and Chet Holmgren contributed 16 points anchoring the interior. OKC outscored Phoenix 34-2 on points off turnovers — Phoenix turned it over 17 times to OKC's six — and dominated every secondary category: 18-2 in fast break points, 52-24 in paint points, and 40-24 in bench scoring.

Devin Booker led Phoenix with 23 points and was their most dangerous offensive creator, but Dillon Brooks went 6-of-22 from the field and Jalen Green — who torched Golden State just two nights ago — shot 7-of-18 for 17 points. Brooks and Green combining to go 13-of-40 (32.5%) against one of the league's best defenses is not a sustainable model for the Suns in this series. Phoenix was also without Mark Williams for a second consecutive game, leaving Oso Ighodaro to start at center against Holmgren.

Oklahoma City leads the series 1-0. Game 2 is Wednesday in OKC.

OKC 119 · PHX 84

Orlando Magic 112, Detroit Pistons 101

This was the only result across the entire first weekend that broke from the expected order, and the context makes it significant. Detroit, the East's top seed, has now lost 11 straight home playoff games — extending the longest such streak in NBA history, a drought dating to a 2008 win over the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Orlando never trailed in this game, and the manner of their victory was convincing enough to make the Pistons genuinely nervous heading into Wednesday's Game 2.

Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, repeatedly attacking Jalen Duren in the mid-range and from three — finishing 2-of-3 from deep, a surprisingly sharp night from a player who shot 30 percent from three during the regular season. Franz Wagner added 19 points in a complete performance, and Wendell Carter Jr. was quietly essential with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists from the center spot. Desmond Bane contributed 17 points and 3 steals. All told, four Magic players hit double figures and coach Jamahl Mosley's system worked exactly as designed — spread Detroit's defense, attack off cuts, deny the Pistons' transition offense.

Detroit's night had one extraordinary outlier and a lot of pain around it. Cade Cunningham scored a playoff career-high 39 points — a relentless, high-volume effort that included back-to-back threes to tie the game at 65-65 in the third quarter and kept the Pistons in striking distance deep into the second half. But every time Detroit drew close, Orlando had an answer: Banchero hitting a long two over Duren, Bane drilling a three over Cunningham, the lead restored before the crowd could fully ignite. Tobias Harris added 17 points, but the rest of Detroit's roster combined for just 45 points. The Pistons shot 40 percent from the field overall and couldn't generate enough perimeter production to complement Cunningham's burst.

The Magic won their first road playoff game under head coach Jamahl Mosley. The Pistons extended a record they desperately wanted to bury.

Orlando leads the series 1-0. Game 2 is Wednesday in Detroit.

ORL 112 · DET 101

San Antonio Spurs 121, Portland Trail Blazers 100

Victor Wembanyama's first career playoff game was everything the build-up promised. He scored 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting — going 5-of-6 from three — with 3 rebounds and 2 blocks in 28 minutes before the benches were emptied, setting the record for the most points ever scored by a Spur in a playoff debut, surpassing Tim Duncan's 32 from 1998. San Antonio led by 10 at the half, stretched it to 15 after three, and cruised from there.

Wembanyama was unguardable in every phase — posting up Donovan Clingan, stepping back off the dribble into threes, floating in transition, and altering Portland's interior attack on the other end. Clingan, the league's leading rebounder at 7-foot-2 and 280 pounds, had no reliable counter for a player who can operate at the perimeter at that size. Stephon Castle was equally impressive in the supporting role — 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, running the offense decisively and demonstrating why the leap he made this season wasn't a fluke. Devin Vassell added 14 points on 4-of-4 from three. The Spurs shot 48 percent from three on the night.

Deni Avdija was Portland's only real answer, finishing with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, and he gave the Blazers a pulse every time they started to crumble — cutting the deficit to single digits briefly in the third quarter before the Spurs' depth and three-point shooting rebuilt the cushion. Portland shot 26.7 percent from three and was outscored 52-24 in the paint. Jrue Holiday was held in check. Shaedon Sharpe provided bench energy but not enough shooting. San Antonio was thoroughly dominant for everything except the stretches when Avdija personally dared them to be.

This was also the first home playoff game of the Wembanyama era for San Antonio, and Frost Bank Center delivered the atmosphere. Gregg Popovich, who attended Spurs practice the day before, was in attendance.

San Antonio leads the series 1-0. Game 2 is Tuesday in San Antonio.

SAS 121 · POR 100

Seven of eight home teams won across the opening weekend. The lone exception — Orlando over Detroit — came courtesy of an 8-seed that earned their way through the play-in and showed up with a system, a star, and nothing to lose. For the rest of the bracket, the favorites delivered blowouts, thumpings, and 32-point statements. The average margin of victory across all eight Game 1s was 16.875 points. Seven of those eight games were decided by double digits.

What the opening weekend established is that the talent gap between the top seeds and their first-round opponents is real and measurable — more so than most expected. Boston, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio all looked like teams playing a different speed of basketball than the teams across from them. Cleveland and Denver were comfortable. The Lakers found a way without two stars. Only Detroit showed vulnerability, and they showed it badly.

The adjustments are coming. Embiid's return timeline, Durant's availability, Cunningham's supporting cast, Quickley's hamstring — the variables that could reshape this first round are still in play. But after eight games and an average margin nearly 17 points, the chalk held almost entirely. Whether it holds again in Game 2s starting Monday is the only question that matters now.

Stud of the Day: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs — 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting, 5-of-6 from three, in the first playoff game of his career. He broke Tim Duncan's franchise record for points in a Spurs playoff debut and was completely unguardable in every phase of the game. He's 22 years old, and this was his introduction to the postseason. File it away.

Dud of the Night: Philadelphia 76ers (team) — 4-of-23 from three, 8 first-half turnovers, 91 points total without Embiid against a Boston defense that gave them no quarter. The Sixers are going to need Embiid back before this series is over. There is no path through Boston at this shooting rate.