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, who bounced back in Game 3 only to be routed by the Pacers again in a lopsided Game 4 win that gave Indiana a 3-1 series lead.
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 on Wednesday.
In the West, the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets, after a lopsided loss against the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, came back at home in an overtime victory in Game 3. OKC struck back with a clutch win in Game 4 to even the series.
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
Eastern Conference
(3) New York Knicks lead (2) Boston Celtics 3-1
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.
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
(4) Indiana Pacers lead (1) Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1
Game 4: Pacers 129, Cavaliers 109
What we learned: Despite being heavy underdogs to start the series, Indiana seized a 3-1 series advantage over the top-seeded Cavs after a 20-point victory in Game 4 during which they led by as many as 44 points — their largest lead in a playoff game since tracking began in 1998. The third quarter again proved pivotal to the outcome as the Pacers outscored the Cavs by 26 points, showing off their adjustments to the Cavs’ zone defense that troubled them in Game 3. Indiana found ways to run in transition, scoring 35 points off turnovers. Cleveland is again not operating at 100% after Donovan Mitchell suffered an ankle injury in Game 4, but Indiana has capitalized all series and is in a position to return to the Eastern Conference finals.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson reacts to the Pacers’ dominating win in Game 4 that has Cleveland on the brink of elimination.
Game 5: Pacers at Cavaliers (Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch: Can the Cavs save their season? Cleveland’s offense has been unrecognizable after its record-setting attack during the regular season, and now the Cavs have to deal with another significant injury. Donovan Mitchell did not play in the second half because of a left ankle injury and finished with a series-low 12 points. Darius Garland, despite finishing with 21 points, was not effective in the first half, and backup point guard Ty Jerome has been benched for most of the past two games. Evan Mobley was also a nonfactor offensively with 10 points. The Cavs didn’t have much of a chance to stop the Pacers on Sunday night, but they will need to hit shots to keep up with Indiana’s offense if they want to extend this series. — Jamal Collier
Western Conference
(6) Minnesota Timberwolves lead (7) Golden State Warriors 3-1
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
Anthony Edwards knocks down back-to-back 3-pointers, to push Minnesota’s lead to 12.
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
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder tied with (4) Denver Nuggets 2-2
Game 4: Thunder 92, Nuggets 87
What we learned: An early-afternoon start two days after a grueling overtime game can lead to some hideous basketball. The Nuggets stayed within striking distance in the first half despite shooting 21.1% from the floor with as many turnovers (8) as buckets. At one point, the teams had combined to miss 32 of 33 3-point attempts. The Nuggets seized the lead with a sudden hot streak — they went 7-for-11 from long range in the third quarter — but couldn’t hold it. Then, for the first time in this series, the Thunder generated just enough clutch offense to pull out a close win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s first bucket of the second half was a driving floater with 4:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. He hit a turnaround jumper on the next possession to stretch the Thunder’s lead to five. He drove for another layup a couple of minutes later, single-handedly matching Oklahoma City’s total clutch buckets in the Thunder’s two losses in this series.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads OKC with 25 in a physical battle to edge the Nuggets in Game 4.
Game 5: Nuggets at Thunder (Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch: How will three-time MVP Nikola Jokic respond to a shockingly inefficient three-game stretch? Jokic had another frustrating outing against the Thunder’s physical, swarming defense, finishing with 27 points on 7-for-22 shooting with only three assists. Jokic has shot 33.3% in the past three games and has more turnovers than assists in the series.
— Tim MacMahon