The 2024-25 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game in the march to the Finals.
On Saturday, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to advance to the second round after defeating the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies. The No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets evened the series with the No. 5 seed LA Clippers after an exciting Game 4, which ended with a game-winning buzzer-beater from Aaron Gordon. The No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors went ahead 2-1 in the series in their first game at home against the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets without Jimmy Butler III.
Sunday, the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers are now down 3-1 after they lost Game 4 on the road to the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves. They'll have a chance to bounce back in Game 5 on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
As the West playoffs continue, here's what matters most and what to watch for in all four series.
Jump to a series:
Thunder-Grizzlies | Rockets-Warriors
Lakers-Timberwolves | Nuggets-Clippers
More coverage:
East first-round takeaways
Schedules and results |
Offseason guides
Sunday's game
(6) Minnesota Timberwolves lead the
(3) Los Angeles Lakers 3-1
Game 4: Timberwolves 116, Lakers 113
What we learned:
Minnesota outscored the Lakers 32-19 in the fourth quarter -- and 19-9 in the final 5:06 -- to take a 3-1 lead in the series. This was a monumental missed opportunity for L.A. After the Lakers failed to protect a 10-point first-quarter lead and went into the half trailing by four, coach JJ Redick made his first major lineup adjustment of the series by benching Jaxson Hayes to start the third, with Dorian Finney-Smith in his place. That group used a 14-0 run out of the break to fuel a 36-23 quarter. But Redick kept those five players in for all 24 minutes of the second half. Anthony Edwards scored 24 of his 43 points after halftime, outshining another brilliant effort from LeBron James (27 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks). Luka Doncic bounced back to form with 38 points after a stomach bug sabotaged his Game 3 effort, but he had four turnovers and James had three, including one trying to inbound the ball to Doncic trailing by one with 10.7 seconds left. Rui Hachimura had his best game of the series (23 points, five rebounds) and Austin Reaves made up for a scoreless first half to score 17 in the second -- but his potential tying 3 missed at the buzzer.
Anthony Edwards heats up with consecutive scores to spark the Timberwolves.
Game 5: Timberwolves at Lakers (Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch:
What kind of fight the Lakers will have left in them. They put themselves in a position to win both games in Minnesota but couldn't close out either. L.A. should get a lift from its home crowd, but the Wolves are a confident team and based on how they came in and stole Game 1 at Crypto.com Arena, there's no reason to think they will be intimidated by the atmosphere.
-- Dave McMenamin
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder win series against
(8) Memphis Grizzlies 4-0
Game 4: Thunder 117, Grizzlies 115
What we learned:
Overall top-seeded Oklahoma City made quick work of Memphis, sweeping the Grizzlies, who haven't won a playoff series since 2022 and didn't beat a Western Conference team with a winning record after January. Likely MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his first efficient scoring performance of the series in the finale, finishing with 38 points on 13-of-24 shooting. With Ja Morant out, the Grizzlies couldn't handle the Thunder's tenacious defensive pressure, committing 22 turnovers that Oklahoma City converted into 32 points. Now, the Thunder will get some rest and await the winner of the Nuggets-Clippers series.
-- Tim MacMahon
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hits a sweet jumper to complete OKC's sweep over the Grizzlies.
(5) LA Clippers tied with (4) Denver Nuggets 2-2
Game 4: Nuggets 101, Clippers 99
What we learned:
Nikola Jokic is about the only player in the world who can post consecutive triple-doubles in a playoff game and have people saying the opposing team was doing a good job on him. Saturday, with Denver's season hanging in the balance, he turned in his finest performance of the postseason -- a 36-point, 21-rebound masterpiece -- to carry his team to a win. The first half was close, as Jokic was facilitating for others. But at halftime, he kicked it into another gear, scoring or assisting on 26 of the Nuggets' 35 points in the third quarter to stake Denver to a 20-point lead. The Nuggets found their championship mettle in this game and threw it away in the fourth quarter, blowing the biggest lead in playoff franchise history. Denver escaped as Aaron Gordon miraculously caught an air ball from Jokic and dunked it at the buzzer for the win. Wow.
Aaron Gordon stuns Clippers fans as he wins Game 4 on a wild putback slam.
Game 5: Clippers at Nuggets (Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch:
The Clippers weren't known as a great 3-point shooting team this season. So while they shot lights out in Game 3 (18-of-39), their overconfidence from behind the arc sank them Saturday in Game 4. LA hit just 10-of-30 from behind the arc. Some of that was because Denver played much better defense, aggressively double-teaming Kawhi Leonard and James Harden and forcing other players to beat them. In this game, the Clippers' supporting cast couldn't step up, and Denver evened the series with two days off to heal up before Game 5 at home.
-- Ramona Shelburne
(7) Golden State Warriors lead the
(2) Houston Rockets 2-1
Game 3: Warriors 104, Rockets 93
What we learned:
The Warriors have enough to win a playoff game without "Playoff Jimmy." In perhaps their gutsiest performance of the season, the Warriors took a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series by overcoming a 13-point deficit with Butler out. Stephen Curry responded with 36 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds. He got hot in the third quarter with 12 must-have points. But in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors needed others to step up, Gary Payton II emerged. With Houston focusing so much defensive attention on Curry, Payton (16 points) got loose for a few layups and a 3, scoring nine straight points for the Warriors at one point to help Golden State pull away. Buddy Hield had one of his best games as a Warrior with 17 points and five 3s. Quinten Post and Jonathan Kuminga (seven points) started with Butler out due to his deep glute contusion, and Post grabbed 12 rebounds.
Draymond Green anchored the Warriors defense and clamped down on Houston, holding the Rockets to 22 points in the fourth quarter and containing Jalen Green to nine points after his 38-point explosion in Game 2. Houston has shown an inability to hurt Golden State on the offensive side in its two losses. With Butler a possibility to return in Game 4 on Monday with five days to recover, the Warriors have a chance to put the Rockets into a potential 3-1 hole if they hold serve at home.
-- Ohm Youngmisuk
Steph Curry credits the Warriors' resilience for their comeback win in Game 3.
Game 4: Rockets at Warriors (Monday, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch:
Golden State certainly felt Butler's absence on offense, especially in the second quarter when the Warriors stumbled through a stretch of scoring just six points over nearly seven minutes to start the frame. Curry performed brilliantly in compensating for the production lost with Butler sidelined. Curry logged his eighth career 30-point outing against the Rockets in the playoffs, while the Warriors defense locked the clamps on Houston's Jalen Green. Still, Butler's recovery and availability for Game 4 on Monday will be closely monitored, especially with the Warriors eyeing an opportunity to seize a two-game lead and serious momentum in this series. If Butler returns for Game 4, Golden State has a real shot at pushing Houston to the brink of elimination.
-- Michael C. Wright