NBA insiders
May 6, 2025, 12:44 AM ET
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 Sunday night by taking home-court advantage away from the No. 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers with a 121-112 victory. The Cavs will try to bounce back Tuesday in Game 2 (7 p.m. ET, TNT).
On Monday, the East's third-seeded New York Knicks beat the 2-seed Boston Celtics in an overtime thriller in Game 1 behind Jalen Brunson's 29 points. In Monday's other Game 1, the 4-seed Denver Nuggets toppled the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the West after a fourth-quarter surge.
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
More coverage:
Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Western Conference
Denver Nuggets (4) lead the (1) Oklahoma City Thunder 1-0
Game 1: Nuggets 121, Thunder 119
What we learned: The Nuggets have no fear whatsoever of the West's top seed. Denver stormed back from a 14-point deficit in the second half to steal Game 1 on the road despite a six-day rest disadvantage. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic was a dominant force, recording 42 points, 22 rebounds and 6 assists to give the Nuggets hope. Oklahoma City's offense dried up down the stretch, and a pair of missed free throws from Chet Holmgren left the door cracked open. Aaron Gordon delivered another game winner for a Denver squad trying to win its second NBA title in three years. -- Tim MacMahon
0:18 Jokic gets and-1 to fall for Nuggets Nikola Jokic grabs his own rebound and gets the and-1 to fall for the Nuggets vs. the Thunder.
Game 2: Nuggets at Thunder (Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch: Denver did not shoot the ball well or take care of it, as you'd expect from a tired team that just wrapped up a grueling seven-game series against the LA Clippers. The Nuggets shot just 29% from behind the 3-point arc (9-for-31) on Monday and turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 23 OKC points. And they still won! Nikola Jokic was brilliant with 42 points and 22 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon has a knack for drilling game winners during these playoffs. If Denver can clean things up and shoot closer to its usual 37.6% from 3, Game 2 could look very different. Of course, OKC will make adjustments too. Don't expect Alex Caruso to be the Thunder's second-leading scorer very often or Jalen Williams (16 points) and Chet Holmgren (12 points) to be as quiet offensively as they were in Game 1. -- Ramona Shelburne
Eastern Conference
New York Knicks (3) lead the (2) Boston Celtics 1-0
Game 1: Knicks 108, Celtics 105 (OT)
What we learned: The Knicks, down 20 in the third quarter and with the tide of momentum seemingly going completely against them, were very much still alive. That's because they showed incredible grit -- and also because the Celtics toyed with the lead far too much in the second half. The defending champs took 20 shots in the third, with a whopping 19 coming from beyond the 3-point arc; the Celtics finished with an NBA-playoff-record 60 3-point attempts.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown & Co. playing solely from the arc hindered the Celtics, who had no way of getting easy points from the foul line. It also benefited the Knicks, who'd had a trio of starters -- Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart -- in foul trouble. The game went to overtime, but by then the momentum had shifted enough to give the Knicks a shot that they likely never should have had based on how much Boston was leading by in the third.
2:13
Brunson scores 29 as the Knicks overcome the Celtics in overtime
Jalen Brunson tallies 29 points to help the Knicks overcome a 20-point deficit and defeat the Celtics in overtime.
Game 2: Knicks at Celtics (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch: What does the shot diet look like for Tatum and Brown, who relied far too heavily on the 3 on Monday night, when they hit just 5 of 25 treys combined. Will Boston's Kristaps Porzingis be back for Game 2? He played just 13 minutes in Game 1 and didn't see any action in the second half due to illness. This come-from-behind win for New York should give the Knicks confidence, as they now know they can definitively beat the Celtics after having gone winless against Boston during the regular season. -- Chris Herring
Indiana Pacers (4) lead the (1) Cleveland Cavaliers 1-0
Game 1: Pacers 121, Cavaliers 112
What we learned: Indiana threw the first punch and stole home-court advantage in the series after outscoring Cleveland 29-22 in the fourth quarter. The Pacers entered as the underdogs in this series against the top-seeded Cavs, but it was Indiana that raced out to a first-quarter advantage and dictated the flow of the game while handing Cleveland its first loss of the playoffs.
The Pacers made 19 3-pointers, the second most in a playoff game in franchise history, and they had six players finish with double figures in scoring. Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton finished with 22 points, 13 assists, 3 blocks and a steal while Indiana shot 7 for 12 from 3 (58%) on his passes.
0:23
Tyrese Haliburton drills step-back 3 for Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton splashes a big step-back 3 for the Pacers down the stretch vs. the Cavaliers.
Game 2: Pacers at Cavaliers (Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch: Darius Garland's status is very important in this series. Cleveland got away with being less than 100% in the first round against the Miami Heat, but it was evident from the opening quarter Sunday that the Pacers are a level up in competition.
Indiana consistently generated open shots and knocked them down. The Cavaliers will need Garland, who has missed the past three playoff games because of a sprained big toe, to provide some offensive help to Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 33 points. -- Jamal Collier
