The second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs is here, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game of the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals.
The No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers kicked off the East semis by taking a 2-0 lead over the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers and never looked back, completing the series Tuesday night to become the first team to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The No. 3 New York Knicks took control of their series with the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics with a crucial Game 4 win. The teams will now head to Boston with the Knicks up 3-1 in the series and looking to close it out Wednesday.
In the West, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder took a 3-1 series lead in Game 5 against the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31-point performance.
The Minnesota Timberwolves stole Game 3 at Chase Center against the Golden State Warriors before a statement Game 4 win to push their series lead to 3-1. The Wolves head back to Minnesota looking to advance to the Western Conference finals for the second straight season.
As teams continue to chase the Larry O’Brien Trophy, here’s what matters most in both conferences and what to watch for in all four series.
Jump to a series:
Cavaliers-Pacers | Knicks-Celtics
Thunder-Nuggets | Warriors-Timberwolves
More coverage:
Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Western Conference
Game 5: Thunder 112, Nuggets 105
What we learned: We’ve been wondering all series how the young Thunder would respond to a playoff dogfight with a former champion, and we’re starting to find out. They can hang. This time it was the Thunder’s turn to steal a game after trailing most of the way, as OKC closed the game on a 9-2 run after the score was tied at 103 with 1:40 remaining. Between Lu Dort’s clutch 3-point shooting in the fourth quarter and Jalen Williams hitting a giant 3 with 1:18 to go — right after he air-balled a 3 — the young Thunder showed tremendous grit Tuesday night to come away with the win and a 3-2 series lead. MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander brought it home with 31 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds, which negated a monster 44-point, 15-rebound night from Nikola Jokic.
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Jokic’s 44-point night in vain as Nuggets lose Game 5
Nikola Jokic scored 44 points to go along with 15 boards, but the Nuggets fall to the Thunder 112-105.
Game 6: Thunder at Nuggets (Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to watch: After some truly wretched offense from both teams in Game 4 — something Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault apologized for before the game — we saw some beautiful basketball Tuesday night. It’s hard to imagine a better game on Thursday — or that either team will have much left in the tank. But this series has been incredible so far and seems destined to go the full seven games. To stay alive, Denver has to get more from its supporting cast. Jokic and Jamal Murray scored 76 of the Nuggets’ 105 points. The only other Nugget to score in double figures was Aaron Gordon, who had 13. — Ramona Shelburne
Game 4: Timberwolves 117, Warriors 110
What we learned: Jonathan Kuminga’s first half looked exactly how Warriors ownership envisioned him fitting with the team when they drafted him No. 7 in 2021. He was a force inside, attacking the Wolves’ defense and scoring 16 points by halftime. Early in the third, Jimmy Butler III briefly looked as if he would start to get going offensively inside as well. The score was tied at 68 and then Minnesota threw a haymaker that Golden State might not recover from. The Wolves went on a 17-0 run and took a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter as the Warriors went 0-for-6 with four turnovers during that dry spell. Their offense looked dreadful with nowhere to go inside and nothing to turn to on the perimeter with Stephen Curry sidelined.
In that pivotal third, Kuminga went 2-for-6 and the Warriors just couldn’t score. Anthony Edwards was the best player on the floor, scoring 16 of his 30 points in the quarter to push the Warriors to the brink. The defensive effort showed Minnesota might have figured out how to defend Butler and Kuminga. And, with Curry set to be reevaluated Wednesday, the day of Game 5, and unlikely to be available until Sunday’s Game 6 at the earliest, the Warriors will need Butler, Kuminga, Draymond Green and Buddy Hield to all have their best games of the season to somehow give Curry a chance to return. — Ohm Youngmisuk
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Windy explains Timberwolves’ playoff surge
Brian Windhorst explains how the Timberwolves have levelled up during the playoffs as they are one win away from the Western Conference finals.
Game 5: Warriors at Timberwolves (Wednesday 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch: What fight will the Warriors have left in them? Golden State played Minnesota to a near standstill through the first six quarters of Games 3 and 4 — with the Wolves holding a 160-157 edge. But then the bottom fell out in the third quarter Monday, with Minnesota winning the period 39-17 — the most lopsided point differential in their favor in any quarter of a postseason game in franchise history. The stakes for Game 5 are obvious for the Warriors. If they win, they’ll send the series home for Game 6, earn three days of rest and possibly buy Curry enough time to return from the left hamstring strain that has sidelined him since Game 1. If they lose, the series, and their season is over and the window for Curry, Green and Steve Kerr winning another championship together will inch closer to being shut for good. — Dave McMenamin
Eastern Conference
Game 5: Pacers 114, Cavaliers 105
What we learned: The Pacers got brilliant performances from their stars while the Cavs watched their best players struggle, and it made the difference during this Eastern Conference semifinal series. Tyrese Haliburton was phenomenal, scoring 28 points while racking up eight assists, and he also got help from Pascal Siakam’s 21 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Meanwhile, the Cavs got up-and-down performances from their core four. Donovan Mitchell gutted out 35 points despite a bad left ankle, but he shot 8-of-24 from the field. Jarrett Allen scored nine points, Evan Mobley finished with 24 but scored only four points in the fourth quarter, and Darius Garland shot 4-of-16 and finished with 11 points, putting a stamp on a disappointing finish for Cleveland. The Cavs won 64 games during the regular season, but they became the fourth 60-win team in NBA history to lose a best-of-seven series in five games or fewer prior to the conference finals.
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Tyrese Haliburton drops 31 to close series for Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton goes off for 31 points to help the Pacers overcome a 19-point deficit and close out the series vs. the Cavaliers.
What to watch for in the Eastern Conference finals: The Pacers are headed to the conference finals for the second straight season and coming in with experience, confidence and swagger after upsetting the top-seeded Cavs. Now, the Pacers wait for their opponent, with two potential playoff rematches from last season on the horizon. Indiana defeated New York in seven games in last year’s second round after winning Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. And the Pacers met the Celtics in last year’s Eastern Conference finals, but they were swept en route to Boston’s 2024 NBA championship. The Pacers continue to make come-from-behind victories a signature in this postseason as Indiana trailed by 19 in the first half of Game 5 but won its third game of the playoffs after trailing by 19 or more points, the first team in NBA history to do so, per ESPN Research. — Jamal Collier
Game 4: Knicks 121, Celtics 113
What we learned: New York, despite a horrendous opening quarter, is still leading this series. And, after hanging tough following an early 14-point deficit and playing a dominant fourth period, the Knicks are now leading the Celtics 3-1 — firmly in the driver’s seat to reach the Eastern Conference finals. Earlier in the day, we’d written about the Knicks’ ability in the clutch and their belief that they could win any game if they simply stay in the fight. Games 1 and 2 showed it, and so did Game 4, when Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson, who recorded a team-high 39 points Monday night, took over to close things out.
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Jalen Brunson drops 39 as Knicks on brink of Eastern Conference finals
Jalen Brunson goes off for 39 points and 12 assists to power the Knicks’ big second-half display and take a 3-1 series lead vs. the Celtics.
Game 5: Knicks at Celtics (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch: Above all else, it will be the status of Jayson Tatum, who played a brilliant Game 4. He finished with a game-high 42 points but was left writhing in pain with three minutes left in the contest after reaching for a loose ball. Knicks wing OG Anunoby grabbed the ball and raced up the floor for a dunk to put New York ahead by nine, but Tatum couldn’t get back up on his own, lying on the court for nearly two minutes until two Celtics staffers helped him up. He couldn’t put any weight on his right leg and was seen in a wheelchair heading to the locker room, an ominous sign for the defending champs as they face elimination when the series resumes Wednesday. — Chris Herring