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The 2025 NBA playoffs are here, the full first-round schedule is set and eight best-of-seven series kicked off last weekend.
After Wednesday night’s action, we’ve seen two games played in each of the series. In four of them, the better-seeded team has a 2-0 advantage. The Thunder, the West’s No. 1 seed, has a 2-0 lead over the Grizzlies. And in the East, the Cavaliers, Celtics and Pacers have 2-0 leads over the Heat, Magic and Bucks, respectively. The other four series are tied at 1-1 — Nuggets vs. Clippers, Lakers vs. Timberwolves and Rockets vs. Warriors in the West and Knicks vs. Pistons in the East.
The 2025 NBA playoffs could be some of the most competitive the league has seen in quite some time. The field, at least for now, is reasonably healthy. The stars are ready to go and the standings were as tight as ever, particularly in the West.
While a few obvious favorites stand out, the playoff field is pretty open. You could talk yourself into eight or nine legitimate contenders. The Thunder (who are the championship favorites with +170 odds at FanDuel) and Cavaliers were the two best teams all season long, but the Celtics entered the postseason as the reigning champs.
In the coming weeks, the field will be whittled down to the best of the best. We’ll be with you every step of the way. Below is the schedule for the 2025 NBA playoffs.
2025 NBA playoffs schedule
All times Eastern
Wednesday, April 23Game 2: Celtics 109, Magic 100Game 2: Cavaliers 121, Heat, 112Game 2: Rockets 109, Warriors 94
Thursday, April 24Game 3: Pistons vs. Knicks, 7 p.m., TNT/MaxGame 3: Grizzlies vs. Thunder, 9:30 p.m., TNT/MaxGame 3: Clippers vs. Nuggets, 10 p.m., NBA TV
Friday, April 25Game 3: Magic vs. Celtics, 7 p.m., ESPN/fuboGame 3: Bucks vs. Pacers, 8 p.m., ESPNU/NBA TV/fuboGame 3: Timberwolves vs. Lakers, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Saturday, April 26Game 3: Heat vs. Cavaliers, 1 p.m., ABC/fuboGame 4: Grizzlies vs. Thunder, 3:30 p.m., TNT/MaxGame 4: Clippers vs. Nuggets, 6 p.m., TNT/MaxGame 3: Warriors vs. Rockets, 8:30 p.m., TV TBD
Sunday, April 27Game 4: Pistons vs. Knicks, 1 p.m., ABC/fuboGame 4: Timberwolves vs. Lakers, 3:30 p.m., ABC/fuboGame 4: Magic vs. Celtics, 7 p.m., TNT/MaxGame 4: Bucks vs. Pacers, 9:30 p.m., TNT/Max
Monday, April 28Game 4: Heat vs. Cavaliers, Time/TV TBD*Game 5: Thunder vs. Grizzlies, Time/TV TBDGame 4: Warriors vs. Rockets, 10 p.m., TNT/Max
Tuesday, April 29*Game 5: Celtics vs. Magic, Time/TV TBD*Game 5: Knicks vs. Pistons, Time/TV TBD*Game 5: Pacers vs. Bucks, Time/TV TBD*Game 5: Nuggets vs. Clippers, Time/TV TBD
Wednesday, April 30*Game 5: Cavaliers vs. TBD, Time/TV TBD*Game 5: Rockets vs. Warriors, Time/TV TBD*Game 5: Lakers vs. Timberwolves, Time/TV TBD
Thursday, May 1*Game 6: Magic vs. Celtics, Time/TV TBD*Game 6: Pistons vs. Knicks, Time/TV TBD*Game 6: Grizzlies vs. Thunder, 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: Thunder vs. Grizzlies, 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
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Saturday, April 19Game 1: Pacers 117, Bucks 98 | Pacers lead series 1-0Game 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110 (OT) | Nuggets lead series 1-0Game 1: Knicks 123, Pistons 112 | Knicks lead series 1-0Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95 | Timberwolves lead series 1-0
Sunday, April 20Game 1: Thunder 131, Grizzlies 80 | Thunder lead series 1-0Game 1: Celtics 103, Magic 86 | Celtics lead series 1-0Game 1: Cavaliers 121, Heat 100 | Cavaliers lead series 1-0Game 1: Warriors 95, Rockets 85 | Warriors lead series 1-0
Monday, April 21Game 2: Pistons 100, Knicks 94 | Series tied 1-1Game 2: Clippers 105, Nuggets 102 | Series tied 1-1
Tuesday, April 22Game 2: Pacers 123, Bucks 115 | Pacers lead series 2-0Game 2: Thunder 118, Grizzlies 99 | Thunder lead series 2-0Game 2: Lakers 94, Timberwolves 85 | Series tied 1-1
Key dates for 2025 NBA playoffs
April 15-18: Play-In TournamentApril 19: Playoffs beginMay 12: NBA Draft LotteryJune 5: NBA Finals begin
