The first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs is in full swing
The 2025 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to punch its ticket to the second round. The West’s No. 1 seed finished off a 4-0 sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday and await either the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Clippers in the second round. Sunday brought a jam-packed schedule with four Game 4s: Knicks-Pistons, Lakers-Timberwolves, Celtics-Magic and Pacers-Bucks are all on the slate. The Knicks and Timberwolves won the first two games of the day, taking a 3-1 series leads against the Pistons and Lakers, respectively. Later on, the Celtics and Pacers followed suit with wins of their own and are up 3-1 over the Magic and Bucks, respectively.
In the East, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers will try to match the Thunder’s sweep. The Cavs are up 3-0 against the eighth-seeded Heat and can send Miami home on Monday night. Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors took a 2-1 series lead against the Houston Rockets even without Jimmy Butler on Saturday night. The Nuggets, meanwhile, evened up their competitive series against the Los Angeles Clippers at 2-2 thanks to Aaron Gordon’s buzzer-beating putback dunk.
Fifteen teams remain in the battle for the Larry O’Brien trophy, and the field will be whittled down to eight by Sunday, May 4
As the NBA playoffs continue, here is a look at the full bracket, along with results and upcoming schedule. Our experts were in alignment about every first-round series, but, as we learn every year, anything can happen in the playoffs.
2025 NBA playoff bracket
2025 NBA playoffs: First-round schedule, 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 (New York leads 3-1)
Game 4: Timberwolves 116, Lakers 113 (Minnesota leads 3-1)
Game 4: Celtics 107, Magic 98 (Boston leads 3-1)
Game 4: Pacers 129, Bucks 103 (Indiana leads 3-1)
Monday, April 28
Game 4: Heat vs. Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m., TNT/Max (Cleveland leads 3-0)
Game 4: Warriors vs. Rockets, 10 p.m., TNT/Max (Golden State leads 2-1)
Tuesday, April 29
Game 5: Pacers vs. Bucks, 6 p.m., NBA TV/fubo
Game 5: Knicks vs. Pistons, 7:30 p.m., TNT/Max (New York leads 3-1)
Game 5: Celtics vs. Magic, 8:30 p.m., NBA TV/fubo
Game 5: Nuggets vs. Clippers, 10 p.m., TNT/Max (Series tied 2-2)
Wednesday, April 30
*Game 5: Cavaliers vs. Heat, 7 p.m., NBA TV/fubo
Game 5: Rockets vs. Warriors, 7:30 p.m., TNT/Max
Game 5: Lakers vs. Timberwolves, 10 p.m., TNT/Max (Minnesota leads 3-1)
Thursday, May 1
*Game 6: Magic vs. Celtics, Time/TV TBD
*Game 6: Pistons vs. Knicks, Time/TV TBD
Game 6: Clippers vs. Nuggets, Time/TV TBD
Friday, May 2
*Game 6: Heat vs. Cavaliers, Time/TV TBD
*Game 6: Bucks vs. Pacers, Time/TV TBD
*Game 6: Warriors vs. Rockets, Time/TV TBD
*Game 6: Timberwolves vs. Lakers, Time/TV TBD
Saturday, May 3
*Game 7: Celtics vs. Magic, Time/TV TBD
*Game 7: Knicks vs. Pistons, Time/TV TBD
*Game 7: Nuggets vs. Clippers, Time/TV TBD
Sunday, May 4
*Game 7: Cavaliers vs. Heat, Time/TV TBD
*Game 7: Pacers vs. Bucks, Time/TV TBD
*Game 7: Rockets vs. Warriors, Time/TV TBD
*Game 7: Lakers vs. Timberwolves, Time/TV TBD
2025 NBA Play-In Tournament schedule, 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
