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. Also on Monday, 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.
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Cavaliers-Pacers | Knicks-Celtics
Thunder-Nuggets
More coverage:
Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Western Conference
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 six assists to give the Nuggets hope. Oklahoma City’s offense dried up down the stretch, and a pair of Chet Holmgren missed free throws left the door cracked open. Aaron Gordon delivered another game-winner for a Denver squad trying to win its second title in three years. — Tim MacMahon
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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) and turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 23 Thunder 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 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 Jaylen Williams (16 points) and Chet Holmgren (12 points) to be as quiet offensively as they were in Game 1. — Ramona Shelburne
Eastern Conference
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.
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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
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.
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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
