The first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs rolls into Tuesday with four critical Game 5s on the schedule.
Monday night saw the Cleveland Cavaliers complete a sweep and the Golden State Warriors extend their series lead. Tuesday could see three more series come to an end.
We’ve got a full breakdown of Monday’s action and a look ahead to today’s matchups.
Updated NBA Playoffs 2025 Bracket
Here’s the current NBA Playoffs bracket after Monday’s first-round games:
Monday, April 28 – Game 4 Recap
Cavaliers 138, Heat 83
Cavaliers win series 4–0
The Cavaliers completed a first-round sweep of the Miami Heat with a 138–83 win in Game 4 — the fourth-largest margin of victory in an NBA playoff game, ever.
Donovan Mitchell and the other Cavaliers starters all played 25 minutes or less, but Mitchell still led the way with 22 points. Fourteen Cavaliers saw action, and all fifteen would have played had Darius Garland not been sidelined with a toe injury.
Tyler Herro was a non-factor, scoring just 4 points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field. Nikola Jovic was a bright spot for Miami, scoring 24 points off the bench.
Next: Cavaliers advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Warriors 110, Rockets 106
Warriors lead series 3–1
The Golden State Warriors staved off a late comeback by the Houston Rockets to take a 3–1 series lead. Jimmy Butler returned to lead the way with 27 points, scoring the Warriors’ last seven.
The veteran Fred VanVleet made the game interesting, sinking a 26-foot three-pointer to tie the game at 104 with 1:20 to go in the fourth. But he missed the game’s last shot — a three from 29 feet out with a second to go — that would have tied the game.
Alperen Sengun led the way for the Rockets with 31 points — including 10 in the fourth quarter. It was a quiet night for Jalen Green, the Rockets’ leading scorer, who put up just eight points on eight attempts.
The series now returns to Houston, in a must-win for the Rockets.
Series Prediction: Warriors in six.
Next Game: Wednesday, April 30, 7:30 PM Eastern — Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Tuesday, April 29 – Game 5 Previews
Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers
Pacers lead series 3–1
The Indiana Pacers try to finish the series with the Milwaukee Bucks at home. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been stellar for the Bucks. But he needs help — and with the season-ending Achilles injury to Damian Lillard, it’s unlikely that he’ll get it tonight.
This is likely the end of the road for the Bucks, who’ll need to figure out how they’ll contend in the East in the 2025-26 season as Lillard recovers from surgery.
Series Prediction: Pacers in five.
Time: 6:00 PM Eastern
Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
TV: NBA TV
Streaming: NBA TV app, FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, YouTube TV
Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks
Knicks lead series 3–1
The New York Knicks look to close out a brutally physical series with the Detroit Pistons at home after a gritty Game 4 win. The last two games of this series have been decided by an average margin of 1.5 points. Game 5 should not be any different.
Detroit is on the verge of elimination and is playing on the road. But that is no deterrent for a team that has overperformed in this first-round series, thanks to a mix of young superstar talent and veteran leadership.
Expect tonight’s game to go down to the wire, but Jalen Brunson and the Knicks will prevail. Brunson is not only averaging 33.3 points per game this series, but the 2025 NBA Clutch Player of the Year is averaging 13.3 in the fourth quarter — when it matters the most.
Series Prediction: Knicks in five.
Time: 7:30 PM Eastern
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
TV: TNT
Streaming: TNT app and website, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, YouTube TV
Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics
Celtics lead series 3–1
Aside from Game 1, this has been a pretty competitive series between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic. That’s partly the result of injuries to Celtics starters, but it’s also because of stellar play from the Magic’s tandem of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who are averaging a combined 58 points per game in this series — the highest of any duo in the 2025 playoffs.
But experience and depth matter. And on both ends, the Magic can’t match the defending champion Celtics, who broke a 91-all tie in Game 4 by scoring 16 of the game’s last 23 points. The Magic will make this a competitive game. Expect a margin below 10 points. But Boston will seal this series at home.
Series Prediction: Boston in five.
Time: 8:00 PM Eastern
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA
TV: NBA TV
Streaming: NBA TV app, FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, YouTube TV
LA Clippers at Denver Nuggets
Series tied 2–2
Three of the four games in this series between the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers have been decided by a single possession. With the series tied at two games all, this 4-5 matchup is about as even as it can get.
The Nuggets may have the edge here at home, but the odds are that this game, too, goes down to the wire and will be decided by two or three points. Expect a big game from Nikola Jokic — he’s averaging a triple-double this series with 28.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 10.8 assists per game. Even his misses result in decisive points, like Aaron Gordon’s buzzer-beater tip-in in Game 4.
Expect the Nuggets to come out on top in a nail-biter tonight, but the series will go the distance.
Series Prediction: Nuggets in seven.
Time: 10:00 PM Eastern
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
TV: TNT
Streaming: TNT app and website, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, YouTube TV
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