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 on Friday night behind Donovan Mitchell‘s 43-point performance.
A similar pattern is playing out on the other side of the East bracket, as the third-seeded New York Knicks, after beating the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics in two outstanding comeback wins, were blown out in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
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.
On Saturday, the Minnesota Timberwolves stole Game 3 at Chase Center against the Golden State Warriors, who are still awaiting the return status of Stephen Curry, who is out with a hamstring injury suffered in Game 1.
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
Game 3: Celtics 115, Knicks 93
What we learned: After a pair of absolutely frigid jump-shooting performances through the first two games, Boston was bound to look like itself at some point in this series. The Celtics, who finished Game 3 with 20 triples on 40 attempts after shooting just 25% across the series’ first two games, caught fire early to build yet another enormous lead heading into the third quarter. They eventually amassed a 31-point edge — one that was too big even for the Knicks to overcome. Boston moved the ball well and effectively took the Knicks and the raucous Madison Square Garden crowd out of the game.
0:27
Jayson Tatum knocks down another trey
Jayson Tatum makes another 3-pointer to give the Celtics a 15-point lead.
Game 4: Celtics at Knicks (Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to watch: Can the Knicks keep pace through the first three quarters, and finally avoid a 20-point deficit, to still be in contention and make use of their instincts in the clutch? Boston wisely avoided letting things get interesting enough for us to witness another collapse, but we’ve yet to see New York come out leading at the half or at the end of three quarters in this series. What further adjustments can the Knicks offense, which enjoyed far fewer transition opportunities off of Celtics misses, make moving forward? It’s a question New York will have to grapple with, in case Saturday’s performance was only the beginning of Boston finding its groove from beyond the arc.
— Chris Herring
Game 3: Cavaliers 126, Pacers 104
What we learned: The Cavs have finally arrived. Donovan Mitchell put up another masterful performance, scoring 43 points with nine rebounds and five assists, and the Cavs had a healthy rotation for the first time all series en route to rolling the Pacers in a statement victory. Mitchell became the first player in Cavs playoff history with 90 points in a two-game span, building on his 48-point performance in Game 2. And the Cavs got a major boost from having their regular rotation back together — Darius Garland (10 points and 3 assists) made his debut in the series; Evan Mobley filled up the stat sheet in his return (18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals); and De’Andre Hunter gave good minutes as a reserve (8 points, 5 rebounds). But it was also the zone defense in the second quarter that stifled the Pacers’ offense and allowed Cleveland to outscore Indiana 34-13, taking a 20-point lead it held on to this time.
1:59
Donovan Mitchell drops 43 points to lead Cavs to Game 3 win
Donovan Mitchell cooks the Pacers for 43 points to lead the Cavaliers to their first win in the series.
Game 4: Cavaliers at Pacers (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch: Despite Indiana winning the first two games of the series, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle emphasized before Game 3 that they expected to see the Cavs squad that won 64 games during the regular season respond. Cleveland did so in a big way. Indiana will have an opportunity in Game 4 to put Cleveland on the brink of elimination, but the Pacers have been outplayed by the Cavs for most of the past two games, despite a flurry in the fourth quarter to win Game 2. Cleveland has had success limiting Tyrese Haliburton‘s impact on the game, holding him to four points on 2-of-8 shooting with five assists in Game 3. — Jamal Collier
Western Conference
Game 3: Timberwolves 102, Warriors 97
What we learned: “Playoff Jimmy” Butler showed up for Game 3. But so did “Playmaking” Julius Randle. The Timberwolves forward, who had a team-high 11 assists to lead the Wolves to a series-tying win in Game 2, topped himself with 12 dimes in a 102-97 win. Randle, who joined Kevin Garnett as the only other player in franchise history with a postseason triple-double by also putting up 24 points and 10 rebounds, collected five of his assists in the fourth quarter. Minnesota outscored Golden State 33-24 in the final frame to separate itself from a Warriors team that kept it tight all night thanks to Butler (33 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) and the continued reemergence of Jonathan Kuminga, who scored 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting off the bench. Randle’s effort, combined with Anthony Edwards scoring 28 of his 36 points in the second half, put Minnesota up 2-1 in the series. With Stephen Curry (left hamstring) already ruled out for Monday’s Game 4, it will be a challenge for the Warriors to bounce back emotionally, knowing Saturday was a chance to extend the series and give time for Curry to try to recover and return. — Dave McMenamin
2:11
Timberwolves take Game 3 behind big games from Edwards and Randle
Anthony Edwards drops 36 points and Julius Randle tallies a triple-double to lead the Timberwolves past the Warriors in Game 3.
Game 4: Timberwolves at Warriors (Monday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to watch: After stealing home-court advantage back with their win in Game 3, the Timberwolves should be able to play Game 4 feeling free and loose. The Wolves showed they can take a punch from Golden State’s defense, which played superbly and turned much of Game 3 into a ’90s slugfest. They also survived Butler’s 33-point and Kuminga’s 30-point performances. Because they both need the ball in their hands so much, Butler and Kuminga haven’t always been the best fit together on the floor. But Steve Kerr may have found something he can use to his advantage in Game 4. Kuminga was on the attack all game and was impactful on defense. Kerr, though, will have to find help for those two on offense. Buddy Hield (14 points) wasn’t much of a factor until late in the game, and Brandin Podziemski has been in a major shooting slump, missing nine of 10 shots Saturday. Without Curry, who is out for Game 4 and won’t be reevaluated until before Game 5, the Warriors have the tiniest margin for error. They cannot afford to lose Draymond Green for the final 4:38 like they did when he fouled out in Game 3. Randle was a problem with a triple-double, and Edwards got free for 36 points. If that happens again, the Warriors could be trying to keep their season alive down 3-1 in Minneapolis for Game 5 with Curry a long shot to be back about a week after suffering his left hamstring strain. — Ohm Youngmisuk
Game 3: Nuggets 113, Thunder 104 (OT)
What we learned: For the second consecutive game, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic looked mortal against Oklahoma City’s physical, smothering defense. On this occasion, it didn’t matter, as Denver pulled out an overtime win to regain the series lead. Jokic finished with 20 points on 8-of-25 shooting, with more turnovers (8, tying a career playoff high) than assists (5). But his driving layup on the opening possession of overtime gave the Nuggets the lead for good. The other Denver starters remaining from the Nuggets’ 2023 title run all rose to the occasion. Jamal Murray scored 27 points, Aaron Gordon 22 and Michael Porter Jr. 21.
0:57
Nuggets rally in OT to claim 2-1 series lead
The Nuggets outscore the Thunder 11-2 in overtime to claim a 2-1 series lead.
Game 4: Thunder at Nuggets (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
What to watch: How will MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander respond after his poor performance in pivotal Game 3? He was held to 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting, repeatedly settling for tightly contested jumpers when he couldn’t slither into the paint. Gilgeous-Alexander scored only three points in the fourth quarter and overtime, missing seven of his eight shots from the floor. — Tim MacMahon
