The NBA Playoffs 2025 first round continues on Monday with two games tonight.
Sunday’s action saw few surprises — and one phenomenal blowout win. We’ve got the full recap below and previews of tonight’s games.
Updated NBA Playoffs 2025 Bracket
Here’s the current NBA Playoffs bracket after Sunday’s first-round Game 1s:
Sunday, April 20 Recap
Thunder 131, Grizzlies 80
OKC leads series 1–0
The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their historic 2024-25 season with a 51-point win — one of the largest postseason margins ever. They did it while keeping their starters on the floor for an average of under 23 minutes.
The lopsided win was achieved by a balanced Thunder effort, with Aaron Wiggins leading the way with 21 points off the bench. He was one of six Thunder players to score in double digits. The Thunder forced 24 turnovers, totally dominating on both ends of the court.
Series Prediction: A Thunder sweep.
Next Game: Tuesday, April 22, 8:00 PM Eastern at FedExForum, Memphis, TN
Celtics 103, Magic 86
Celtics lead series 1–0
The Boston Celtics overcame a halftime deficit, pulling away in the second half by capitalizing on the Orlando Magic’s mistakes and controlling the tempo through perimeter shooting. Derrick White led the Celtics with 30 points, knocking down seven three-pointers. Boston shot 43% from beyond the arc — not much higher than the Magic’s 37% — but off 10 more attempts.
Fouls and turnovers proved costly for Orlando, which gave the ball away 15 times, leading to fast-break points and open threes for Boston.
The Celtics, by contrast, committed just nine turnovers and moved the ball cleanly in the halfcourt.
Series Prediction: Celtics win in 5.
Next Game: Tuesday, April 22, 7:00 PM Eastern — Kia Center, Orlando, FL
Cavaliers 121, Heat 100
Cavaliers lead series 1–0
Cleveland pulled away late behind Donovan Mitchell’s 30 points and Ty Jerome’s surprise 28-point burst off the bench. Darius Garland added 27. Miami got 24 points from Bam Adebayo and 21 from Tyler Herro, but struggled to keep pace.
Series Prediction: Cavs sweep.
Next Game: Wednesday, April 23, 7:00 PM Eastern — Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
Warriors 95, Rockets 85
Warriors lead series 1–0
The 37-year-old Stephen Curry dropped 31 points, and Jimmy Butler added 25 in his Warriors playoff debut as Golden State took Game 1 on the road. Alperen Sengun led Houston with 26, but the young Rockets couldn’t close late, despite closing the deficit in the second half.
Sengun posterized Draymond Green, who could not handle the Turkish center. But Golden State nonetheless came out with the win.
Series Prediction: Rockets in 7.
Monday, April 21 – Game 2 Preview
Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks
Knicks lead series 1–0
Time: 7:30 PM Eastern
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
TV: TNT, TruTV, MSG Network (New York), FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (Detroit)
Streaming: TNT app and website, Max, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, YouTube TV
New York looks to go up 2–0 after rallying in the fourth quarter of Game 1 with a 21-0 run powered by Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. Clearly, playoff jitters got to the young Pistons. Expect them to flare in Game 2 and steal one at the Garden before heading home.
Series Prediction: Pistons in 6.
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets
Nuggets lead series 1–0
Time: 10:00 PM Eastern
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
TV: TNT, TruTV, Altitude Sports (Denver), FanDuel Sports Network (Los Angeles)
Streaming: TNT app and website, Max, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, YouTube TV
Denver edged out an overtime win in Game 1 behind Nikola Jokic’s near triple-double. The Clippers showed fight but need more production from their bench and fewer turnovers to even the series on the road. Expect this series to go the distance with the Nuggets prevailing.
Series Prediction: Nuggets in 7.
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