The 2025 NBA Playoffs continue on Tuesday, May 21, with Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden.
One of the NBA’s most tense rivalries renewed at The World’s Greatest Arena — it’s absolutely must-watch basketball.
We’ll preview tonight’s game below. But first, here’s the latest playoff bracket and a breakdown of last night’s Game 1 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Updated 2025 NBA Playoff Bracket
The Thunder are now up 1-0 in the Western Conference Finals after defeating the Timberwolves in Game 1 on Tuesday night. But don’t count the Timberwolves out. They beat the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors to get here. They’re no ordinary sixth seed.
Here’s the latest 2025 NBA Playoffs bracket after last night’s Thunder win:
Tuesday, May 20 – Game Recap
Oklahoma City Thunder 114, Minnesota Timberwolves 88
Thunder lead series 1–0
Game 1 was a tale of two halves — and two entirely different teams.
Minnesota came out aggressive, jumping to a 6–0 lead and finishing the first quarter up 24–21, despite racking up six turnovers and seven fouls. Rudy Gobert picked up two quick fouls just 3:41 into the game, putting early pressure on the Timberwolves’ defensive anchor. Anthony Edwards suffered an ankle scare at the end of the first and went to the locker room, but returned with just under seven minutes to play in the second quarter.
It was Julius Randle who carried Minnesota in the first half, scoring 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including two threes. His first-half brilliance masked what was otherwise a disjointed offensive effort for the Timberwolves, with 7 fouls and 6 turnovers by Minnesota in the first quarter alone. Still, by halftime, Minnesota held a 48–44 lead. But it wouldn’t last.
In the second half, Oklahoma City flipped the game on its head.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who shot just 2-of-12 from the field in the first half and scored nine points mostly at the line, erupted for 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting in the second half.
Critically, Jalen Williams also stepped up, finishing with 19 points and five steals, with 13 of those points coming in the final two quarters. His two-way play helped lead a 70–40 second-half rout.
OKC’s defense made the difference. The Thunder recorded 13 steals — six in the first quarter alone — leading to 12 fast-break points. The Timberwolves had zero.
Minnesota’s offense stalled completely. Randle and Edwards combined for just 13 points in the second half. Edwards, clearly slowed by the ankle injury, looked tentative. Meanwhile, Dante DiVincenzo continued to struggle, shooting 3-of-14 from the field and just 3-of-12 from deep to finish with nine points.
Minnesota finished the game with only two players in double figures — Randle with 28 and Edwards with 18.
In contrast, Oklahoma City had four players in double digits: Gilgeous-Alexander (31), Williams (19), Chet Holmgren (15), and Isaiah Hartenstein (12). Mike Conley added a quiet but efficient seven points in just nine minutes.
The Thunder closed the third quarter with a double-digit lead and never looked back, dominating both ends of the floor, leveraging their depth and defensive pressure.
But don’t count Minnesota out. Expect this series to go the distance.
Series Prediction: Thunder in seven.
Next Game: Thursday, May 22, 2025, 8:30 PM Eastern — Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Wednesday, May 21 – Game Preview
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks
Game 1 – Eastern Conference Finals
The Knicks and Pacers meet for the seventh time in the NBA playoffs and in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
Indiana took their most recent series — last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, which saw Jalen Brunson miss Game 7 with a fractured hand.
The Knicks are now at full strength and hope to stay healthy against a plucky Pacers team.
The Knicks had the edge in the season series, winning two of their three regular-season games, averaging 124 points per game. Expect this to be a hard-fought, high-scoring series that goes the distance.
This will be a battle between two different styles of basketball. Indiana brings a fast-tempo offense that also excels from behind the arc. The Pacers have led the NBA in three-point percentage during the playoffs, making 40.6% of attempts.
The burden will rest on the Knicks’ perimeter defenders — OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, as well as Josh Hart and the hyper-mobile Mitchell Robinson — to limit the Pacers from three.
Robinson’s exceptional ability to rotate and rebound could be the difference-maker in this series.
The Pacers, like the Boston Celtics, excel at rapid ball movement. Indiana is averaging nearly 30 assists per game, compared to the Knicks’ 20. New York will have to slow the pace. And Robinson will have to stay out of foul trouble — and make more free-throw shots of his own.
When compared pound for pound, the sum of New York’s parts is greater than that of Indiana’s. The Knicks have two superstars — Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns — capable of putting up 30+ nights.
And their secondary scorers — Anunoby and Bridges — can easily score 20 or more, when they’re hitting their shots.
Along with Robinson, the Knicks’ Hart is a player to watch. He’s stepped up offensively in the Celtics series, scoring 20 points or more twice — overcoming his reluctance to shoot. This will be a close game in a close series. But expect the Knicks to prevail by a single-digit margin.
Series Prediction: Knicks in six.
Time: 8:00 PM Eastern
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
TV: TNT
Streaming: TNT app and website, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, YouTube TV
Globely News covers the game changers transforming the worlds of business, sports, politics, and technology. From AI and electric vehicles to the rise of China and the NFL's next stars, we've got you covered.