2025 NBA playoffs

The 2025 NBA playoffs is the ongoing postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2024–25 season. The playoffs began on April 19 and will end with the conclusion of the 2025 NBA Finals.

• The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the playoffs with the best record in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season and also finished with their best regular-season record in franchise history. They also won the Maurice Podoloff Trophy for clinching the best record in the NBA for the first time in franchise history.
• The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the playoffs for the third consecutive season and also clinched the number one seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2016, and the first time without LeBron James on their roster.
• The Boston Celtics entered the playoffs for the eleventh consecutive season, the longest such streak in the NBA.
• The Milwaukee Bucks entered the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.
• The Denver Nuggets entered the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
• The Miami Heat entered the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. They also became the first 10-seed to advance from the play-in tournament into the playoffs.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
• The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers entered the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
• The Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic entered the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
• The Golden State Warriors returned to the playoffs after losing in the play-in tournament the previous year.
• The Memphis Grizzlies returned to the playoffs after missing the postseason the previous year.
• The Houston Rockets entered the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
• The Detroit Pistons entered the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
• The New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks missed the playoffs after making the postseason the previous year.
• The Phoenix Suns missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
• The Philadelphia 76ers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
• The Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, and Atlanta Hawks missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
• The Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, and Chicago Bulls missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
• The Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
• The San Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
• The Charlotte Hornets missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, currently the longest active playoff drought in the NBA.

• The Atlanta Hawks competed in the play-in tournament for the fourth consecutive season.
• The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat competed in the play-in tournament for the third consecutive season.
• The Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors competed in the play-in tournament for the second consecutive season.
• The Memphis Grizzlies competed in the play-in tournament for the first time since 2021.
• The Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks competed in the play-in tournament for the first time in franchise history.

• With their overtime road victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the No. 8 seed game, the Miami Heat became the first-ever 10-seed to advance from the play-in to the playoffs.
• The Dallas Mavericks became the first team since the 2019–20 Golden State Warriors to miss the playoffs after reaching the NBA Finals the previous season.

• The Thunder's 51-point victory against the Grizzlies was the largest margin of victory in a Game 1 in NBA history.
• The Pistons' Game 2 victory over the Knicks was their first playoff win since 2008, ending a 15-game postseason losing streak, the longest in NBA history. The Pistons, however, now own the record for the most consecutive home defeats in playoffs history at 10 straight with their three home losses in the first round.
• The Cavaliers made 11 three-pointers in the second quarter of their Game 2 victory over the Heat, setting a postseason record.
• The Thunder overcame a 26-point halftime deficit in their Game 3 victory over the Grizzlies, the largest such comeback in NBA postseason history.
• With the Thunder sweeping the Grizzlies, this marks the 49th straight playoffs where a sweep occurred; the last time this did not happen was in 1976.
• The Cavaliers' 55-point victory over the Heat in Game 4 was the largest series-clinching win in NBA history.
• The Cavaliers' 122-point differential in their series against the Heat was the largest in NBA history.
• By defeating the Lakers, the Timberwolves won a playoff series in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
• The Knicks–Pistons series was the second playoff series in NBA history to feature four consecutive games decided by 3 or fewer points.
• The Nuggets–Clippers series was the first of the 2025 playoffs to have a Game 7, making it the 26th consecutive NBA postseason to feature a Game 7. The last time a Game 7 did not occur in the playoffs was 1999. This was the 154th game 7 in NBA playoffs history.
• With the Rockets forcing a Game 7 against the Warriors, this is the first playoffs since 2020 to feature two Game 7's in the first round.

• In the Eastern Conference, the same teams from the previous playoffs represent the final four teams this year. However, the match-ups are different, with the Cavaliers playing the Pacers and the Celtics facing the Knicks.

Eight teams from each conference participate in the playoffs. The top six teams in each conference, based on winning percentage, directly qualify for the playoffs; the seeding order of those teams is also based on winning percentage. If two or more teams had the same record, standard NBA tiebreaker rules are used.

The NBA Board of Governors adopted a format starting in 2021 to have a play-in tournament involving the teams ranked 7th through 10th in each conference. The 7th place team and 8th place team participate in a "double-chance" game, with the winner advancing to the playoffs as the 7-seed. The loser then plays the winner of the elimination game between the 9th place and 10th place teams to determine the playoff's 8-seed. The NBA's regular playoff format then proceeds as normal.

Each conference's bracket is fixed with no reseeding. All rounds are a best-of-seven series; a series ends when one team wins four games, and that team advances to the next round. All rounds, including the NBA Finals, are in a 2–2–1–1–1 format with regards to hosting. In the conference playoffs, home-court advantage goes to the higher-seeded team (number one being the highest). For the NBA Finals, home-court advantage goes to the team with the better regular season record, and, if needed, ties are broken based on head-to-head record, followed by inter-conference record.

On March 5, 2025, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot. While noted in the below tables, division titles have no bearing on seeding.

Seeds 7 and 8 in each conference were determined via the first-stage play-in tournament, held April 15–18.

Atlanta (40–42) and Chicago (39–43) also secured play-in berths but did not advance to the playoffs.

Sacramento (40–42) and Dallas (39–43) also secured play-in berths but did not advance to the playoffs.

Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
* Division winner

Bold Game winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
* Division winner

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Teams with home court advantage, the higher seeded team, are shown in italics.

Note: Times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given. Potential games are marked by an asterisk if necessary.

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points as the top-seeded Cavaliers cruised to a 121–100 victory in the series opener. Mitchell also tallied four steals, Darius Garland finished with 27 points, and Jarrett Allen notched a double-double for Cleveland. Although the Heat tried to rally in the second half, Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome came off the bench and scored 28 points in his playoff debut, including 16 points (6-of-7 shooting) in the fourth quarter to keep Miami at bay. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro both finished with over 20 points for the Heat, while reserve guard Davion Mitchell shot 8-of-12 and dished out a game-high nine assists.

Cleveland fought off a late Miami rally, securing victory and establishing a 2–0 series advantage. Donovan Mitchell had another 30-point performance, including 7 3-pointers, while also logging 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Darius Garland added 21 points and 9 assists, whereas Evan Mobley contributed 20 points and 6 rebounds. Tyler Herro carried the Heat on scoring, notching 33 points and dishing out 5 assists. Bam Adebayo tallied 11 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists, finishing one assist shy of a triple-double. Haywood Highsmith came off the bench and shot 5-of-6 from beyond the arc en route to 17 points, as the Heat conceded 121 points for the second game in a row.

Cleveland rolled to a 124–87 victory to take a commanding 3–0 series lead. It was a balanced team effort for the Cavaliers — Jarrett Allen scored 22 points, De'Andre Hunter added 21 points, defensive player of the year Evan Mobley added 19 points, and Max Strus contributed 18 points. Ty Jerome had 13 points and 11 assists in 22 minutes — he was +33. This was the Heat's worst playoff loss in franchise history, which only lasted one game after Game 4's blowout loss. The Cavs took control with a 33–5 run early, outrebounded Miami 46–29 and outscored the Heat 60–30 in the paint.

Cleveland advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight season after a 55 point victory, the fourth-biggest playoff win ever. Cleveland won the series by a combined 122 points, one more than the previous record for series margin set by Denver over New Orleans in 2009. Miami was also the first team ever to lose by 30+ points in the playoffs in back-to-back games.

The series also marked the Cavaliers' first-ever playoff series sweep in franchise history without LeBron James on the roster.

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

After Orlando held a slim 1-point lead at halftime, Boston dominated the second half, winning 103–86 at home. Derrick White was the main contributor for the Celtics on offense, knocking down 7 3-pointers en route to 30 points. Jayson Tatum notched a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, albeit going 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. Payton Pritchard added 19 points on 75% field goal percentage as a substitute. For the Magic, Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 36 points, while also logging 11 rebounds. Franz Wagner finished with 25 points and 5 assists, while Wendell Carter Jr. grabbed 13 boards.

The defending champions secured 2–0 series lead with a 109–100 victory in Game 2. Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics, logging 36 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Kristaps Porziņģis (who had to shortly leave the game after an accidental elbow to the forehead by Goga Bitadze in the last seconds of the third quarter) notched 20 points and 10 rebounds. Al Horford also grabbed 10 boards, as the Celtics outrebounded their opponents 46–34. The Magic were again reliant on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, with the former contributing 32 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, while the latter scored 25 points. Wendell Carter Jr. added 16 points and 8 rebounds, as Orlando were limited to no more than 100 points for the second consecutive game. Boston's star forward Jayson Tatum did not play in the game due to a wrist injury suffered in Game 1; it was the first playoff game he missed in his career.

Franz Wagner (32 points on 11-of-27 shooting, 7 rebounds, 8 assists) and Paolo Banchero (29 points on 10-of-25 shooting) efforts were enough for the Magic to outlast the Celtics in a close Game 3 victory. A returning Jayson Tatum scored 36 points and had 9 rebounds, but committed 7 turnovers, while co-star Jaylen Brown also had 6 turnovers. Altogether, the Celtics committed 20 turnovers in the game. After a stellar Game 2, Kristaps Porziņģis (with his head bandage after the elbow to the forehead in Game 2) scored just 7 points on 3-of-10 shooting, with a team-worst -16 plus-minus. In the fourth quarter, the duo of Wagner and Banchero scored 18 of the Magic's 22 points.

Jayson Tatum scored 37 points and pulled down 14 rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 21 points and 11 rebounds, as the Boston Celtics took a 3–1 lead over the Orlando Magic in Game 4. Kristaps Porziņģis scored 19 points, including a dunk of his own missed layup that put Boston ahead for good with 3:58 left. Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 31 points.

The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals behind Jayson Tatum's 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds effort. The game was tied at 53 when Magic star Paolo Banchero went to the bench with five fouls early in the third quarter. When he came back into the game at the start of the fourth quarter, the Celtics were up 83–62 and they never looked back, cruising to a 120–89 win.

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams and the first since 2010, with the Magic winning two of the first three meetings.

After three tightly contested quarters, New York strung together a 21–0 run in the fourth, propelling them to a 123–112 victory over Detroit. Jalen Brunson led the scoring for the Knicks, finishing with 34 points, along with 8 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns put up an all-rounded performance, logging 23 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks, while OG Anunoby added another 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. For the Pistons, Cade Cunningham scored 21 and dished out 12 assists in his playoff debut, whereas Tobias Harris shot 80% from beyond the arc en route to 25 points. Malik Beasley came off the bench and made 6 3-pointers, contributing 20 points, as Detroit were denied their first playoff win since 2008.

In just his second playoff game, Pistons' star Cade Cunningham led his team to a victory with 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting and 12 rebounds performance. Detroit led for most of the game, but a late 4th quarter New York rally was halted by a Dennis Schröder (who had 20 pts off the bench) three-point shot with 55.1 seconds to break the tie and give Detroit the eventual win. Jalen Brunson had another 30-point effort with 37 in total, as well as 7 assists. With the victory, Detroit ended an NBA record 15-game playoff losing streak, which spanned 17 years.

Jalen Brunson (30 points, 11-of-13 from free throws) and Karl-Anthony Towns (31 points, 10-of-18 shooting, 4 three-point makes) starred in a close Game 3 victory to take a 2-1 series. Towns was aggressive early and Jalen Brunson was effective late. Towns scored 11 of his 31 points in the first quarter while Brunson had 12 of his 30 in the fourth. In addition, OG Anunoby scored 22 points and Mikal Bridges added 20 points for the Knicks. Detroit's Cade Cunningham scored 24 points and had 11 assists, but missed 15-of-25 shots and had six turnovers. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 24 points, making a career playoff-high seven 3-pointers. Dennis Schroder scored 18 points off the bench and Jalen Duren had 16 for the Pistons. The Pistons pulled within one point twice in the third, but the Knicks went on another surge to take a 10-point lead into the final quarter and the cushion was comfortable enough to hold off Detroit's attempts to rally.

Jalen Brunson (32 points, 11 assists, and 13-of-26 shooting) and Karl-Anthony Towns (27 points, 9 rebounds, and 10-of-23 shooting) would again star for the Knicks in a thrilling Game 4 victory. The game was close throughout and a Karl-Anthony Towns go-ahead 3-pointer with 46.6 seconds left would ultimately be the difference. Game 4 was a physical game with few whistles as seen on the last possession of the game. On the play, Tim Hardaway Jr. shot a 3-pointer just before the buzzer and drew contact from New York’s Josh Hart that wasn’t called a foul. David Guthrie, the crew chief for the game, said afterward that the officials made a mistake. “After postgame review, we observed that Hart makes body contact that is more than marginal to Hardaway Jr. and a foul should have been called,” Guthrie said. Had the foul been called, Hardaway would have gone to the foul line for three free throws that could have given Detroit the lead and win.

In addition, the Pistons have lost nine straight home playoff games since 2008, tying an NBA record set by Philadelphia 76ers from 1968 to 1971. Cade Cunningham finished with the Pistons first playoff triple double since Isiah Thomas in 1989.

The Pistons spoiled the Knicks chance to clinch their first playoff series victory at Madison Square Garden since the 1999 conference finals, with a 106–103 win. Ausar Thompson’s athleticism was on full display on offense (22 points in 28 minutes, mostly in the paint) and defense (2 blocks and holding Jalen Brunson to an off shooting night). Cade Cunningham led the Pistons in scoring again with 24 points, plus 8 rebounds and assists. Tobias Harris had 17 points, 8 rebounds, and made three 3-pointers. In defeat, six Knicks were in double figures in scoring.

Jalen Brunson's game-winning 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left finished off the Pistons in another hard-fought playoff game in this series. Detroit did not get a shot off to potentially tie the game and send it to overtime because Malik Beasley fumbled a pass with 0.4 second left. With 2:35 left, Brunson and the Knicks went on a 11–1 run to seal to the game, 116–113. Brunson scored 40 points, Mikal Bridges had 25 points, and OG Anunoby added 22 for the Knicks. Cade Cunningham had 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, but went 0-for-8 on 3-pointers. The Pistons as a team were just 9-for-24 from three. Jalen Duren scored 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 9-of-10 from the free thrown line. The Pistons now own the record for most consecutive playoff home losses, with 10. The final average margin for the series was 4.3, which was the lowest in a series of 5+ games in 25 years.

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams and the first since 1992, with the Knicks winning two of the first three meetings.

Leading by as much as 28 points, Indiana cruised to a 117–98 win over their Central Division rivals. Pascal Siakam scored 25 and grabbed 7 rebounds for the Pacers, while Myles Turner added 19 points on 4-of-6 3-point shooting. Tyrese Haliburton notched a double-double of 10 points and 12 assists, albeit missing all 7 of his 3-point attempts. The Bucks, without Damian Lillard, were heavily reliant on Giannis Antetokounmpo for scoring. Antetokounmpo logged 36 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort. Notably, Kyle Kuzma, as a starter, recorded a stat line of 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks and 2 fouls in 21 minutes, ending with a team-worst plus-minus value of –24.

Indiana held off a late Milwaukee fourth quarter surge to take a 2–0 lead in the series. The Pacers played another efficient game on offense (48.9% on field goals, 44.4% from beyond the arc) led by Pascal Siakam (24 points, 11 rebounds), Tyrese Haliburton (21 points, 12 assists) double-double efforts. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks with 34 points on 14-of-20 shooting, 17 rebounds, and 7 assists. Milwaukee also received a lift from Damian Lillard, who was playing in his first game since March 18.

Milwaukee dominated the game in the second half and cut Indiana's series lead to 2–1. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Gary Trent Jr. each scored 37 points, with the latter also making a franchise-record nine three-pointers. Pascal Siakam had 28 points and Aaron Nesmith scored 18 for the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 14 points and 10 assists.

The Pacers shot 60% from the field and 46% from three to take a commanding 3–1 series lead. Eight Pacers players scored 12 points or more, led by Myles Turner (23 points, 4 blocks), Andrew Nembhard (20 points), and Tyrese Haliburton (17 points, 15 assists). Giannis Antetokounmpo continued to carry Milwaukee, with 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists; however, only two other Bucks players scored 10 points or more. Damian Lillard tore his Achilles tendon in the first quarter of the game, ending his season.

The Bucks' season ended in stunning fashion, blowing a 4-point lead with 60 seconds in the fourth quarter and a 7-point lead with 45 seconds in overtime. Gary Trent Jr. took over for Milwaukee in overtime, scoring 12 points in overtime (all from three), but his fumble and turnover out of bounds gave the ball to Indiana with 10.1 seconds left. From there, a Tyrese Halliburton crossover and layup over Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the Pacers the 119–118 lead with 1.1 seconds left. With no more timeouts, the Bucks could not advance the ball and a Trent Jr. half court heave was not close, thus giving the Pacers the win and series victory. Postgame, two incidents occurred: between Antetokounmpo and Tyrese Haliburton’s father, and between Antetokounmpo and Bennedict Mathurin.

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams and a rematch of the previous season's first round matchup, with the Pacers winning the first three meetings.

The Thunder won by a heavy landslide, outscoring the Grizzlies in every quarter, as they secured a 51-point win following a 32-point lead at halftime. This was the largest-ever point differential in Game 1 of an NBA playoff series and the fifth largest in any playoff game. Six Oklahoma City players scored double-digit points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played 23 minutes and scored 15 points, his lowest-scoring game of the season. Desmond Bane emerged from the game with the ignominy of being the first NBA player in the 21st century to have a plus-minus lower than -50, with -51.

Fresh off their blowout victory in Game 1, the Thunder dominate yet again in Game 2 to take a commanding 2–0 series lead. The Thunder opened the game with a 9–0 run, and never trailed throughout the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 27 points, while Jalen Williams added 24 points, and Chet Holmgren put up a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double. For the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 26 points, and Ja Morant added 23 points, both in a losing effort. For the second straight game, Memphis was held to under 100 points, and was scoreless in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter.

After trailing 51–77 at halftime, the Thunder came back from a 29-point deficit to move on the verge of a sweep. It tied a record for the second largest comeback in an NBA playoff history, only behind the April 15, 2019, game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors (31 points). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points, while Jalen Williams added 26 points, and Chet Holmgren scored 23 of his 24 points in the second half. Scotty Pippen Jr. led the Grizzlies with 28 points. Ja Morant had 15 points and five assists, but left the game early after a hip injury; on the play, Morant attempted to jump over Luguentz Dort on a contested dunk attempt.

Oklahoma City advanced to the Western Conference semifinals after a close 117–115 Game 4 victory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points on 13-of-24 shooting and 11-of-13 from the free throw line, while Jalen Williams added 23 points on 10-of-21 shooting. Joining them in double figures for the Thunder were Isaiah Hartenstein (11 points, 12 rebounds), Chet Holmgren (11 points), and Aaron Wiggins (11 points) off the bench. With no Ja Morant due to injury, Memphis received big contributions from role-players Scotty Pippen Jr. (30 points, 11 rebounds, but 5 turnovers) and Santi Aldama (23 points, 9 rebounds, 9-of-13 shooting). Desmond Bane added 23 points, but also had 5 turnovers. Overall, Memphis turned the ball over 21 times. With the Thunder's victory, it extended their win streak over the Grizzlies to 12 games.

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams and the first since 2014, with the Thunder winning two of the first three meetings.

Despite a late rally in the 4th quarter from Houston, Golden State took lead early in the 2nd quarter and never relinquished it in a 95–85 victory. They were led by their dynamic duo of Jimmy Butler (25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) and Stephen Curry (31 points, 6 rebounds, 5 three-point makes). Houston, playing in their first postseason game since 2020, were held to the lowest scoring output of the season. Houston’s Alperen Şengün had 26 points, which included a poster dunk on Draymond Green in the 1st quarter, and 9 rebounds. This was the Warriors' first road playoff win since Game 7 of the first round against Sacramento in 2023. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr became the seventh head coach to win 100 playoff games, tying Larry Brown for sixth place in the list.

Houston never trailed in this game, producing a dominant 109–94 win to even the series. Jalen Green made 8 3-pointers, finishing with 38 points, 6 assists and 3 steals. Alperen Şengün came up with a double-double, notching 17 points and 16 rebounds, while Tari Eason came off the bench to score 14 points on 6-of-9 field goal shooting. Nobody on the Warriors scored over 20 points, with Stephen Curry scoring exactly 20, along with 9 assists and 5 rebounds, but also 6 turnovers. Moses Moody and Quinten Post each added 12 points. Jimmy Butler exited the game with 2:28 remaining in the 1st quarter, after sustaining a heavy fall while trying to get a defensive rebound. He was later diagnosed with a pelvic contusion.

After being limited to below 100 points for two straight games, Golden State finally got past that mark with a 104–93 victory over Houston. Stephen Curry led the Warriors in the absence of co-star Jimmy Butler, tallying 36 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. Buddy Hield had 17 points off the bench with five 3-pointers as the Warriors won their sixth straight Game 3 in the opening round. Gary Payton II scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Like Game 1, it was another inefficient game for the Rockets on offense, shooting just 39% from the floor. Fred VanVleet's shooting struggles continued, as he is now shooting 11-41 and 6-29 from three for the series.

Coming off an injury in Game 2, Jimmy Butler returned and put up 27 points, leading the Warriors in a 109-106 victory over Houston. Brandin Podziemski started, putting up 26 points, ahead of Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield, who continued his good form with 15 points off the bench. The Rockets, spearheaded by Alperen Şengün with 31 points and 10 rebounds, lagged behind the Warriors in the first, third, and fourth quarters as they only made 61.3% of their free throws at 19–31. Fred VanVleet made a return to shooting form as he added 25 points while going 8–11 from the three-point line. In the fourth quarter, it was a tight game as the Warriors slightly edged Houston at 107–106 with 13 seconds left; Butler ultimately made two free throw shots to take the Warriors home.

The Rockets kept their season alive with a blowout win Game 5 win at home. Fred VanVleet scored 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting to lead the Rockets, while Amen Thompson had a breakout performance with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting, 5 steals, 3 blocks. Dillon Brooks also added 24 points in the 131–116 win. Overall, the Rockets shot 55% from beyond the arc. Warriors coach Steve Kerr threw in the towel early with the game out of hand. A layup by VanVleet midway through the third quarter made it 93–64, and Kerr called timeout and cleared his bench. The Warriors reserves got the lead to just a 14-point deficit, but it never got any closer than that.

Fred VanVleet had 29 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, Alperen Şengün contributed 21 points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets kept their season alive once again by beating the Golden State Warriors, 115–107. The Warriors only trailed by two points entering the fourth quarter, but they went cold, missing 13 straight shots between Draymond Green's basket with 10:12 left and a 3-pointer by Stephen Curry at the 3:35 mark. Throughout the second half, the Warriors utilized the Hack-a-Shaq strategy on Steven Adams, resulting in 16 free throw attempts by Adams, of which he made 9.

This is the Golden State Warriors' 12th Game 7, with a 6–5 record in Game 7s overall. Their most recent Game 7 victory came in 2023 against the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the playoffs. This is the Houston Rockets' 13th Game 7, with a 7–5 record overall. Their most recent Game 7 was against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020 in Round 1, a game the Rockets won. With a new TV deal coming next season that gives national TV partners exclusivity to all playoff games, this will be the final playoff game to air locally on a regional sports network.

This is the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams and the first since 2019, with the Warriors winning the first four meetings.

The Timberwolves cruised to a win against the Lakers in the opening game of the series, dominating from the second quarter onwards. Anthony Edwards recorded a near-triple-double stat line of 22 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists, despite making only 8 of his 22 field goal attempts. Jaden McDaniels added 25 points and 9 rebounds, while Naz Reid came off the bench to score 23 points on 6-of-9 3-point shooting. In his Lakers playoff debut, Luka Dončić carried the team with 37 points and 8 rebounds but finished with just one assist. None of his teammates scored above 20, although LeBron James came close with 19, along with 5 rebounds and 3 blocks, as the home team endured a night of bad shooting, going 33-of-83 overall.

While the game got within single-digits in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles rode a 34–15 first quarter and never gave up the lead to tie the series on their home floor. Luka Dončić led Los Angeles in scoring with 31 points on 9-of-20 shooting with 12 rebounds and 9 assists, while LeBron James chipped in with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. Julius Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring with 27 points, while Anthony Edwards scored 25, including a poster dunk on Jaxson Hayes in the beginning of the third quarter. However, no other player on the Timberwolves reached double figures in scoring, with the team shooting just 20% from 3-point range following their 21 made 3-pointers in Game 1.

After trailing by just four points at halftime, the Timberwolves outscored Lakers 62–46 in the second half, including a 13–1 run in the closing four-and-a-half minutes, to spoil a 38-point, 10-rebound performance from LeBron James. Jaden McDaniels led the Timberwolves with 30 points, while Anthony Edwards added 29, including a dagger 3-pointer to seal the Timberwolves' 2–1 series lead. For the Lakers, Austin Reaves scored 20 points and 7 rebounds, while Luka Dončić, who was reportedly sick, added 17 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists.

Jaden McDaniels converted a three-point play with 39.5 seconds left to take the lead and stole the ensuing inbounds pass from LeBron James, leading a late game rally by the Timberwolves for a 116–113 win over the Lakers that put them on the brink of advancing. Anthony Edwards, who had 43 points to lead Minnesota in scoring, drew a foul on James during a drive to the lane with 10 seconds left and hit both free throws to put them up three. On the last possession of the game, Austin Reaves missed a three that would have tied the game. LeBron James had 27 points and 12 rebounds for his 144th career double-double in the playoffs, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain for the third-most in history behind Tim Duncan (164) and Magic Johnson (157). James also went 15 for 18 from the free-throw line and had multiple excellent defensive stops in the fourth quarter, but did not score in the quarter, the first time he went scoreless in a fourth quarter since 2017. Luka Dončić bounced back from a stomach bug in Game 3, with 38 points on 13-for-28 shooting. Rui Hachimura played his best game of the series thus far with 23 points, while Austin Reaves scored all 16 of his points in the second half. Julius Randle added 25 points and McDaniels had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolves, who trailed for much of the second half before the late game surge. The game was also notable for Lakers coach JJ Redick playing a five-man combo of Reaves, Dončić, Dorian Finney-Smith, James, and Hachimura the whole second half, the first coach in the play-by-play era to play five players for an entire half in the playoffs.

Minnesota completed the series upset over the Los Angeles Lakers, behind Rudy Gobert’s personal playoff highs with 27 points and 24 rebounds (9 offensive), against a center-less Lakers line-up. Minnesota won the game despite shooting 7-for-47 from three. This was the first time in franchise history the Lakers have lost in the first round when they were a 3-seed or better. Per OptaSTATS, just 16.9% of the Lakers' points in the series came in the fourth quarter (85 of 502), which is now the lowest percentage by any team in any playoff series in NBA history.

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams and the first since 2004, with the Lakers winning the first two meetings.

Falling into a 15-point deficit halfway through the second quarter, Denver rallied and ultimately prevailed in overtime. Nikola Jokić once again showed his dominance, racking up 29 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists, one rebound shy of a triple-double. Jamal Murray finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, while Aaron Gordon added another 25 points, including 6 in overtime, and 8 rebounds. The Clippers had two players with a double-double, with James Harden scoring 32 and dishing out 11 assists, while Ivica Zubac logged 21 points and 13 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard contributed 22 points, but also had 7 turnovers. With 10 seconds left in overtime and the Nuggets up by 3, Clippers had an inbound opportunity, but Russell Westbrook made a key defensive play to force a turnover, sealing the victory over his former team.

Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting as the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round playoff series against the Nuggets. It was another thrilling game that saw 18 lead changes and 12 ties. Despite the win, the Clippers saw no one, aside from Leonard, score over 20, with James Harden going just 7-of-17 on field goals, finishing with 18 points. Ivica Zubac notched another double-double, with 16 points and 12 rebounds. For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokić achieved his first triple-double of the postseason, tallying 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists (but also 7 turnovers). Jamal Murray added 23 points for the Nuggets, who also got a bounce-back game from Michael Porter Jr. (15 points and 15 rebounds) after his 3-point performance in Game 1.

In Game 3, the Clippers had a 23–2 run that lasted through the first and second quarters that helped them take a commanding lead and ultimately win the game. This run included a stretch where the Clippers made 14 of their 28 three-pointers. The Clippers win was a balanced effort, with Kawhi Leonard finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists; Norman Powell broke out of a mini-slump with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting; Ivica Zubac scored 20 points to go along with 9 rebounds; James Harden had 19 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds; and Nicolas Batum provided 12 points off the bench with 4 three-point makes. In the defeat, Nikola Jokić had another playoff triple double, with 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists on 9-of-14 shooting. Jamal Murray added 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting. This was the first playoff game at Intuit Dome.

The Nuggets evened the series at 2–2, behind 36 points, 21 rebounds, and 8 assists from Nikola Jokić and a game-winning, buzzer-beating dunk from Aaron Gordon. The Nuggets led the game by a slim two points at halftime, which eventually became a 85–65 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Clippers tried to erase a 22-point deficit, outscoring the Nuggets with a 32–9 run to take a 97–96 lead with one minute and eleven seconds left in regulation, with Bogdan Bogdanović's offensive rebound and basket. A three-point play from Jokić gave the Nuggets a 99–97 lead, before Ivica Zubac tied the game with exactly eight seconds remaining. Gordon dunked the missed three-pointer from Jokić to seal the victory; officials concluded that the ball came out of Gordon's hands before the red light came out, thus resulting in a Nuggets victory. According to the NBA, it was the first known game-winning buzzer-beater putback dunk in NBA playoff history.

Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun each scored 17 points for the Nuggets. Kawhi Leonard was the leading scorer for the Clippers with 24 points; Norman Powell added 22.

Jamal Murray exploded for 43 points on 17-of-26 shooting and 8-of-14 beyond the arc, as Denver took a 3-2 series lead at their home floor. Russell Westbrook returned after missing Game 4 with an injury and gave the team 21 points off the bench. Aaron Gordon provided 23 points, while Nikola Jokić notched his third triple double of the series. As a team, the Nuggets shot 52% from three. Ivica Zubac scored 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting, a playoff career-high for the Clippers center. Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points, hauled 11 rebounds, and was one assist short of a triple double. This was the Clippers first back-to-back losses since they lost three straight from March 2-5.

A balanced effort from James Harden (28 points and eight assists), Kawhi Leonard (27 points and 10 rebounds) and Norman Powell (24 points, 11 in the third quarter) helped the Clippers force a pivotal Game 7 in their series with the Nuggets. Los Angeles led by 15 with less than six minutes to play, but Denver made an 11–2 run to trim the Clippers’ lead to 107–101, but Russell Westbrook missed a layup and Powell buried a 3-pointer with 1:47 left to put the Clippers back up 9. Nikola Jokić scored 20 of his 25 points in the first half. Jamal Murray finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Nuggets are looking to atone for their Game 7 upset loss at home from last year's playoffs against the Timberwolves, while the Clippers are looking to avenge their Game 7 defeat by the Nuggets from the 2020 Western Conference semifinals.

The Denver Nuggets have a 4–4 record in Game 7s throughout their NBA history. The L.A. Clippers have a 4–5 record in Game 7s all-time.

This is the third playoff meeting between these two teams and the first since 2020, with each team winning one series.

Note: Times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given. Potential games are marked by an asterisk if necessary.

This will be the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Cleveland winning two of the past three.

This was the 16th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning eight of the first 15 meetings.

This is the final playoffs that games will air nationally across ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV in the United States before both Amazon Prime Video and NBC Sports replace TNT and NBA TV next season. For the second and final time, TruTV may simulcast or air alternate broadcasts of select TNT games. This is also the final year that each team's regional broadcaster will be permitted to televise local coverage of first-round games, with the exception of games on ABC. In general, during the first two rounds, ABC broadcasts Sunday afternoon games, TNT has Sunday through Wednesday night games, and ESPN televises Friday night games. For Thursday night games, TNT will air games in the first round and then get split in the second round with TNT (at least 1 game) and ESPN (at least 2 games). NBA TV televised selected Tuesday through Thursday night first-round games, produced by TNT Sports. Additionally this postseason, an NBA TV/ESPNU simulcast of Game 3 of Indiana–Milwaukee on Friday, April 25 was scheduled to accommodate ABC and ESPN2's coverage of the 2025 NFL draft, airing in roughly the same time slot. Saturday first-and second-round games are split by ABC (at least 4 games), ESPN (at least 3 games), and TNT (at least 4 games).

As per the alternating rotation, ESPN/ABC has exclusive coverage of the Western Conference finals while TNT has exclusive coverage of the Eastern Conference finals. ABC has exclusive coverage of the NBA Finals for the 23rd straight year.

NBA TV games was available on NBA League Pass as part of its normal streaming service for that channel. TNT games stream on Max.

NBA has continued its sponsorship agreement with Google since 2022, with Google Pixel serving as first presenting partner of the Playoffs from 2022 through 2024. Beginning with this season, it will now be rebranded as "2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google," giving an expansion of sponsorship for other Google brands, outside of Pixel. As part of an multi-year agreement with Google, this sponsorship provides the logo branding inside the venues and in official digital properties on-court, as well as commercial inventory during ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV's telecasts of the playoff games.

• Basketball – Reference.com's 2025 Playoffs section