Updated NBA Playoff Bracket 2025 Picture, Schedule After Knicks, Nuggets Win Game 1s

We have our first overtime game of the second round!

Game 1 of the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals tipped off Monday, with the New York Knicks visiting the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets heading east to battle the Oklahoma City Thunder.

To start the jam-packed day, the No. 3 Knicks—fresh off a 4-2 series win over the Detroit Pistons—squared off against the No. 2 Celtics, who cruised past the Orlando Magic in the first round.

Capping off the night, the top-seeded, well rested Thunder, coming off a dominant sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies, faced the No. 4 Nuggets, who advanced after a hard-fought Game 7 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

2025 NBA playoffs Round 2 picture

Western Conference

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets (DEN leads 1-0)

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors (Series kicks off May 6)

Eastern Conference

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers (IND leads 1-0)

New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics (NYK leads 1-0)

Upcoming Playoff Schedule

Tuesday, May 6

Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:00 p.m. ET

Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday, May 7

New York Knicks at Boston Celtics, 7:00 p.m. ET

Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET

Thursday, May 8

Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8:30 p.m. ET

Denver Nuggets def. Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-119

BANG!

Aaron Gordon hit a game-winning three-pointer to clinch Game 1 for the Nuggets over the No. 1 seed Thunder, delivering a stunning ending that left fans in disbelief.

As Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals commenced for the Nuggets and Thunder, both teams came out of the gate hungry for the victory. 

Nikola Jokic got off to a quick start with six points for Denver, while Jamal Murray added 12. On the other side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried the load for the Thunder with 14 points—over half the team’s total—helping Oklahoma City take a one-point lead into the second quarter.

Luguentz Dort rounded out the first half with back-to-back three-pointers, complementing an impressive showing from Jalen Williams, who chipped in eight points. Jokic added 10 for Denver in the second quarter, but with the rest of the starters struggling to find a rhythm, the Nuggets entered halftime trailing by 10.

Aaron Gordon and Russell Westbrook each finished the half with seven points, while Murray added 14 and Jokic led the Nuggets with 16. Starters Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun were quiet, contributing just two points apiece.

Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder with 15 points on 50 percent shooting. Alex Caruso added eight, Williams chipped in seven, and Chet Holmgren, Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein each had six.

Coming out of halftime, the third quarter was filled with momentum swings. The Nuggets opened with a run to chip away at the deficit, but the Thunder quickly responded with a 9-4 burst to push the lead back to 14 with just over 4:30 remaining in the quarter. Denver answered with a 9-0 run of its own, cutting the gap to single digits and pulling within eight. Westbrook went off to finish the third, posting eight points in the final 3:30. 

Caruso and Peyton Watson traded three-pointers to kick off the fourth quarter. The Thunder stretched their lead back to 12, but Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray answered in a big way, combining for 13 straight Nuggets points to keep them within striking distance and make it clear they weren’t going away quietly.

Two-straight buckets from Jokic brought them within one point with 1:07 remaining. Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic traded pairs of free throws, keeping it a one point game with 13 seconds remaining. 

Two missed free throws from Holmgren led to a fast-break three-pointer from Gordon on the other end, sealing the upset win for the Nuggets in Game 1.

New York Knicks def. Boston Celtics, 108-105

After a tight first quarter that saw Jayson Tatum pour in 13 points for the Celtics despite the team shooting just 7-of-24 from the field, and Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with six points on 9-of-19 team shooting, Boston held a narrow 26-25 edge.

The Celtics caught fire in the second quarter. Jaylen Brown led the charge with 13 points, while Jrue Holiday and Payton Pritchard each added eight, picking up the slack as Tatum was on the bench for a hefty majority.

By halftime, Tatum, Brown and Pritchard had all reached double figures, while New York's starters struggled to get going. Mikal Bridges had just two points, OG Anunoby added six, Josh Hart chipped in eight and Jalen Brunson led the way with nine.

After trailing by nearly 20 at halftime, the Knicks mounted a third-quarter surge, overcoming a 9-0 run from Boston. With nine points from Brunson and five from Hart, New York outscored the Celtics 30-23 in the period, cutting the deficit to just nine as they entered the final 12 minutes.

The fourth quarter turned into the Brunson show. The All-Star guard poured in 11 points, guiding New York to its first lead since 33-31, pulling ahead 94-91. The Knicks pushed the gap to six, but the Celtics responded with a balanced attack from Derrick White, Tatum, Brown and Holiday to even the score at 100 apiece and force overtime.

A powerful and-one dunk from Anunoby gave the Knicks the first points in overtime. Stellar defense and a three-pointer from Bridges helped extend their lead to 106-100. 

The Celtics responded with a layup from Tatum, followed by a Knicks two-pointer. Brown then knocked down a three-pointer after an offensive rebound from Holiday.

With the Knicks up three and just 3.0 seconds remaining, Boston used back-to-back timeouts to draw up a final play. But Bridges sealed the win, bullying the ball away from Brown in a clutch defensive stand to secure the victory.