The second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs is starting to take shape. Out of the twelve teams remaining in the bracket, four have already secured their spot in the next round: the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, and Boston Celtics. The Pacers and Celtics were the latest teams to advance, winning their respective Game 5s against the Bucks and Magic on Tuesday night. Both the Thunder and Cavaliers, who were the top seeds in the Western and Eastern Conferences, completed sweeps in their first-round matchups.
Wednesday could see two more teams advance to the second round. Both the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves hold 3-1 leads in their series and have an opportunity to finish the job on the road. Golden State is looking to eliminate the Rockets, while Minnesota has built a commanding lead against LeBron James, Luka Dončić, and the Lakers.
At least two first-round series are guaranteed to go to a Game 6. The Knicks-Pistons and Nuggets-Clippers series are both tied 3-2 after five games, with New York and Denver needing just one more win to advance. They will have their chance to close out their series on Thursday night.
The playoff field will be reduced to eight teams by the end of the weekend, and the second round is scheduled to commence on or before Monday, May 5.
2025 NBA Playoffs: First-Round Schedule and Scores
All times Eastern
- Saturday, April 19
- Game 1: Pacers 117, Bucks 98
- Game 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110 (OT)
- Game 1: Knicks 123, Pistons 112
- Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95
- Sunday, April 20
- Game 1: Thunder 131, Grizzlies 80
- Game 1: Celtics 103, Magic 86
- Game 1: Cavaliers 121, Heat 100
- Game 1: Warriors 95, Rockets 85
- Monday, April 21
- Game 2: Pistons 100, Knicks 94
- Game 2: Clippers 105, Nuggets 102
- Tuesday, April 22
- Game 2: Pacers 125, Bucks 115
- Game 2: Thunder 118, Grizzlies 99
- Game 2: Lakers 94, Timberwolves 85
- Wednesday, April 23
- Game 2: Celtics 109, Magic 100
- Game 2: Cavaliers 121, Heat, 112
- Game 2: Rockets 109, Warriors 94
- Thursday, April 24
- Game 3: Knicks 118, Pistons 116
- Game 3: Thunder 114, Grizzlies 108
- Game 3: Clippers 117, Nuggets 83
- Friday, April 25
- Game 3: Magic 95, Celtics 93
- Game 3: Bucks 117, Pacers 101
- Game 3: Timberwolves 116, Lakers 104
- Saturday, April 26
- Game 3: Cavaliers 124, Heat 87
- Game 4: Thunder 117, Grizzlies 115 (Oklahoma City wins 4-0)
- Game 4: Nuggets 101, Clippers 99
- Game 3: Warriors 104, Rockets 93
- Sunday, April 27
- Game 4: Knicks 94, Pistons 93
- Game 4: Timberwolves 116, Lakers 113
- Game 4: Celtics 107, Magic 98
- Game 4: Pacers 129, Bucks 103
- Monday, April 28
- Game 4: Cavaliers 138, Heat 83 (Cleveland wins 4-0)
- Game 4: Warriors 109, Rockets 106
- Tuesday, April 29
- Game 5: Pacers 119, Bucks 118 (Indiana wins 4-1)
- Game 5: Pistons 106, Knicks 103
- Game 5: Celtics 120, Magic 89 (Boston wins 4-1)
- Game 5: Nuggets 131, Clippers 115
- Wednesday, April 30
- Game 5: Rockets vs. Warriors, 7:30 p.m., TNT/Max (Golden State leads 3-1)
- Game 5: Lakers vs. Timberwolves, 10 p.m., TNT/Max (Minnesota leads 3-1)
- Thursday, May 1
- Game 6: Pistons vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m., TNT/Max (New York leads 3-2)
- Game 6: Clippers vs. Nuggets, 10 p.m., TNT/Max (Denver leads 3-2)
- Friday, May 2
- *Game 6: Warriors vs. Rockets, Time/TV TBD
- *Game 6: Timberwolves vs. Lakers, Time/TV TBD
- Saturday, May 3
- *Game 7: Knicks vs. Pistons, Time/TV TBD
- *Game 7: Nuggets vs. Clippers, Time/TV TBD
- Sunday, May 4
- *Game 7: Rockets vs. Warriors, Time/TV TBD
- *Game 7: Lakers vs. Timberwolves, Time/TV TBD
2025 NBA Play-In Tournament Schedule and Scores
All times Eastern
- Tuesday, April 15
- Magic 120, Hawks 95
- Warriors 121, Grizzlies 116
- Wednesday, April 16
- Heat 109, Bulls 90
- Mavericks 120, Kings 106
- Friday, April 18
- Heat 123, Hawks 114 (OT)
- Grizzlies 120, Mavericks 106
2025 NBA Playoffs: Key Dates
- April 15-18: Play-In Tournament
- April 19: Playoffs begin
- May 5-6 (or May 3-4): Second round begins
- May 12: NBA Draft Lottery
- May 20-21 (or May 18-19): Conference finals begin
- June 5: NBA Finals begin
Jasper Hawthorne