Biggest Winners and Losers from 2025 NBA Playoff Opening Weekend
The first weekend of the NBA playoffs is complete, and the eight games we saw on Saturday and Sunday gave us plenty of clear winners and losers.
And that goes way beyond who finished ahead or behind on the scoreboard when the final buzzers went off.
From a 51-point drubbing to some overtime heroics to a dubious streak for one of the game's brightest stars, the biggest names and teams on either side of the winners-and-losers ledger can be found below.
Loser: Giannis Antetokounmpo
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We’ll get this out of the way at the outset. Giannis Antetokounmpo obviously isn't a "loser" outside the confines of this exercise, but after dropping Saturday's game against the Indiana Pacers, the Milwaukee Bucks have now lost the last six playoff games he has appeared in.
Basketball is a team sport. And injuries (like the deep vein thrombosis that kept Damian Lillard out on Saturday) have been a significant part of this skid. But six straight losses is six straight losses.
For one of the best players in the world to be on the wrong end of a streak like that is notable. If nothing else, it could be an indication that big changes are in order for the Bucks this summer.
Wasting the prime of a talent of this level should be unacceptable.
Of course, Lillard's return in this series could flip the narrative, but there's a real chance Milwaukee suffers another first-round exit.
Winner: Russell Westbrook
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If all you saw was Russell Westbrook's 5-of-17 shooting line from Saturday, you might be surprised to see him here, but his impact on that game went way beyond missed shots.
His energy was crucial for a team that started flat. That, his playmaking on defense and his rebounding helped him close over Michael Porter Jr. And it's a good thing he closed, because most of the shots he did make came at critical points.
The Westbrook experience has been a roller coaster for the Nuggets and their fans. Just a couple weeks ago, his aggression resulted in a missed layup (on a play that called for him to dribble out the clock) and a foul on a three-point shooter on the ensuing possession.
Games aren't won and lost on a possession or two, but they can sure swing in pretty dramatic ways.
Saturday, Westbrook authored those swings again. And this time, to Denver's benefit.
Loser: Pistons' Late-Game Execution
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For most of NBA history, experience has been one of the single most important factors in the postseason. Most title-winning teams had to take some playoff lumps in the years leading up to the championship.
Very few get to skip that process.
This weekend's best example of that reality had to be the Detroit Pistons. After becoming the first team in NBA history to triple its regular-season win total from the prior season, Detroit played most of this group's first playoff game together with the same edge that made them winners in 2024-25.
But when things got tight in the fourth quarter, the New York Knicks ripped off a 21-0 run that effectively ended the game in their favor.
New York, of course, deserves plenty of credit for that, but you could almost see the nerves on a lot of the Pistons' shots during that run. They were 0-of-10 as a team, and Cade Cunningham turned it over twice in those minutes.
And unraveling for just a portion of one quarter now has Detroit needing four wins in the next six games to survive elimination.
Winner: Timberwolves' Aggression
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Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves entered Game 1 of their first-round series with the Los Angeles Lakers as underdogs, but they sure didn't look it.
From the opening tip to the final buzzer, Minnesota was the bigger, more physical and more aggressive team.
It finished with 11 more fouls, 12 more points in the paint and six more rebounds.
In the playoffs, the team that establishes the tone of the game, as Minnesota did, is often the winner.
And while L.A. has more than enough firepower to get right back into this series, it can't magically conjure up more size.
That will be an advantage for the Timberwolves for the duration of the first round.
Loser: The Grizzlies. Just the Grizzlies
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We could easily go with the Oklahoma City Thunder as a winner from this spot. They set the record for biggest margin of victory in a single first-round playoff game. That's worthy of acclaim, but something tells me we'll have more chances for extended praise of this team.
It looks like a juggernaut that even the perennially brutal Western Conference may not have an answer for.
So, instead, we'll zero in on the Memphis Grizzlies, who looked completely outmatched for about 45 minutes of a 48-minute game.
By some point in the second quarter, they looked ready to fold. They probably did. But even the engaged Grizzlies may be hopeless in this series.
OKC has waves of perimeter defense to throw at Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. Zach Edey looks far too heavy-footed for Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
And when you add the upheaval of Memphis' late-season coaching change to all of the above, it's tough to imagine much winning for them from here on out.
Winner: Boston's Depth
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The Boston Celtics weren't particularly challenged in their 103-86 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
For a 2-7 matchup including the reigning champions, that's probably not all that notable, but Boston securing a blowout in a game in which Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 33 points on 36 shots is.
It's also another reminder of how deep and offensively dynamic this team is. On any given night, there are six or seven different players who could lead the way.
It's typically Tatum, but it could be any of Kristaps Porziņģis, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard. Sunday, it was the guards. White had 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting, while Pritchard added 19 on 6-of-8. For a brief stretch, even Jrue Holiday turned back the clock with a little takeover.
There will understandably be plenty of buzz over OKC coming out of this weekend, but Boston isn't going to give up its crown without a fight.
Loser: #HeatCulture
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Even with all the turmoil that surrounded Jimmy Butler and his eventual departure, the Miami Heat still finished the 2024-25 season with the ninth-ranked defense in the league.
There was enough institutional know-how, grit and experience to survive the loss of Butler, at least on that end of the floor and to the extent it got Miami out of the play-in.
In other words, through Friday's win over the Atlanta Hawks, #HeatCulture was alive.
But then the Heat ran into the offensive buzzsaw that is the Cleveland Cavaliers, and that defense looked wildly outmatched.
Cleveland scored 137.5 points per 100 possessions in Game 1, well clear of its year-long and league-leading 122.5 from the regular season.
Miami's backcourt defense was particularly flummoxed, as Donovan Mitchell (30 points on 11-of-19 shooting), Ty Jerome (28) and Darius Garland (27) combined for 85 points.
And if those three remain anywhere near that effective for the rest of the series, we can probably count out another Cinderella playoff run for this Heat team.
Winner: Jimmy Butler
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Stephen Curry brought plenty of heroics to the Golden State Warriors' 95-85 win on Sunday night. And he may well have had the play of the entire weekend with a three that caused TNT's Kevin Harlan to exclaim: "Geometrically, that should not have happened!"
That specific shot aside, though, we've seen Curry carry the Warriors on plenty of occasions in the past. So, we'll pivot to something new.
And that, of course, is Jimmy Butler, who was everywhere for Golden State down the stretch.
In the final two minutes alone, the 35-year-old grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to stretch the lead to nine. Forty seconds later, he drilled a 19-foot fadeaway to extend the lead another two points. And with under 30 seconds left, he swiped his fifth steal of the game, took it coast to coast and sealed the victory with a dunk.
All told, in his first playoff game as a Warrior, Playoff Jimmy totaled 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals, while registering a plus-14 in a 10-point win.
He's clearly still a superstar, and that obviously changes the prospects for Curry's fifth ring.
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