The NBA Playoffs for the 2025 season began on Apr. 19, 2025. 16 of the league’s best teams will battle until one is left hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.
Beasts in the East
The Eastern Conference is headlined by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished the season with a 64-18 record. The Cavaliers are led by Donovan Mitchell and plenty of young talent, coached by Coach of the Year candidate Kenny Atkinson. In the first game, the top seed in the East defeated the Miami Heat 121-100, with Mitchell scoring 30 points. Ty Jerome helped by scoring 16 of his 28 points during the fourth quarter to seal Cleveland’s win.
The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks round out the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics, the NBA defending champions, finished 61-21 and faced the Orlando Magic in the first round. Unsung hero, Derrick White, made seven threes and finished with 30 points as the Celtics beat the Magic 103-86. The Knicks finished 51-31 with new faces in Mikal Bridges and Karl Anthony-Towns leading the way during the regular season. New York beat the Detroit Pistons 123-112 using a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter to take a 1-0 series lead.
Best in the West
On the other side of the playoff bracket, the Oklahoma City Thunder sit atop the Western Conference. OKC boasts the best record in the NBA with 68 wins and only 14 losses during the regular season. They’re led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 32.7 points per game and is an MVP candidate. The Thunder matched up against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. During the first game, they beat the Grizzlies 131-80, the fifth-biggest margin of victory in NBA postseason history. Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t live up to his normal high-scoring self, logging only 15 points. The other Thunder stars, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, had 20 and 19 points.
The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers hold the second and third seeds in the West. Houston finished 52-30, an 11-game improvement compared to their 41-41 record the year before. The Rockets’ young and inexperienced talent hurt them during Game 1 as they lost to the Golden State Warriors 85-95. The Warriors were led by veteran guard Stephen Curry, who has plenty of playoff experience. The superstar pairing that shocked the world in Lebron James and Luka Doncic helped the Lakers to a 50-32 record. The duo battled against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. Despite Doncic scoring 37 points, the Lakers dropped the first game to the Wolves 95-117.
Other Game Ones
Above are only the top three seeds from each conference, but the other teams had plenty of action in their first playoff games as well. The fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 117-98, with Pascal Siakam scoring 25 points and Tyrese Haliburton adding 12 assists. In the West, the Denver Nuggets held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in overtime by a score of 112-110. Russell Westbrook was a key player in the Nuggets’ comeback during regulation. He made a three-pointer to give Denver a two-point lead in the fourth quarter and knocked the ball off of Clippers star James Harden to seal the victory late in overtime.
