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.
Plus, the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors, after losing Stephen Curry to a hamstring injury in a Game 1 win and losing Game 2, will have to dig deep as they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday to see who will take the series lead.
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 both 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: Wolves at Warriors (Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
What to watch: After being held under 100 in its Game 1 win, Golden State continued struggling to score without Curry in Game 2. Golden State’s 39 points in the first half was the fewest it has scored out of its nine playoff games, and it finished with just 93. Without the surprise contributions from Kuminga (18 points on 8-for-11 shooting) and Jackson-Davis (15 points on 6-for-6 shooting), the Warriors’ offense would have been totally inept. The Warriors struggled from 3, going 9-for-32 (28.1%), and Butler, Hield and Green combined to score just 41 points after combining for 62 in Game 1. They will need to generate more points to stay in this series. — Dave McMenamin
1:17
Stephen A: Jimmy Butler’s job is to get Warriors a win without Steph
Stephen A. Smith says Jimmy Butler must elevate his game and steal a win with Steph Curry sidelined.
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
