The 2025 NBA Playoffs continue on Saturday, May 24, with Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center, aiming to avoid a 0–3 series deficit.
Before previewing tonight’s Game 3, here’s a recap of Friday’s action and an updated look at the playoff bracket.
Updated 2025 NBA Playoff Bracket
The Indiana Pacers secured a 2–0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 114–109 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Friday, May 23 – Game 2 Recap
Indiana Pacers 114, New York Knicks 109
Pacers lead 2–0 in the Eastern Conference Finals
Pascal Siakam delivered a playoff career-high 39 points, leading the Pacers to a 114–109 win over the Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Siakam’s efficient 15-for-23 shooting performance carried Indiana’s offense — particularly in the first half, in which Tyrese Haliburton scored only two points.
Haliburton, however, would turn it on later in the game, ending with 14 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, while Myles Turner added 16 points. The Pacers’ bench outscored the Knicks’ reserves 21–11, led by the speedy T.J. McConnell, who scored 10.
This was no blowout, but the game was almost entirely played on the Pacers’ terms — a rapid pace the Knicks can meet and beat for some, or even much of the game, but not when it matters the most.
Indiana finished the night shooting 51.8% from the field and 43.3% from three, with 14 fastbreak points. New York, by comparison, shot 47.6% overall and 34.4% from three, with just 7 fastbreak points.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 36 points and 11 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns added 20 points and 7 rebounds, while Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby contributed 20 and 16 points, respectively.
The Pacers had 11 players take the court, compared to just 8 for the Knicks.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau relied more heavily on his second unit, with Josh Hart and Towns each limited to around 28 minutes, while Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride played 29 and 25 minutes, respectively. Robinson and McBride both finished with a +6 plus-minus rating, while Hart and Towns were -10 and -20.
Thibodeau sat Towns for much of the fourth quarter, on the very day he was named to the All-NBA Third Team for the 2024–25 season. Towns continues to be a defensive liability, fails to position himself for offensive rebounds, and is passive on the offensive front, except for periodic bursts. That type of play simply won’t work against a Pacers team that is always running in turbo mode.
The Pacers are able to sustain the pressure on their opponents in part because head coach Rick Carlisle actually gives his starters time to rest — and puts them on the bench strategically. Thibodeau has just begun to embrace the concept, but generally runs his starters into the ground.
So with the series on the line as the Knicks head to Indianapolis, New York not only needs better load management, but also stops on the defensive front to slow the pace of the game.
The Knicks now face the daunting task of overcoming a 0–2 deficit, having lost both games at home. A sweep is unlikely — but so too is a Knicks series win.
Series Prediction: Pacers in six.
Next Game: Sunday, May 25, 8:00 PM Eastern — Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Saturday, May 24 – Game 3 Preview
Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves
Thunder lead 2–0 in the Western Conference Finals
The Timberwolves return home for Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, trailing the Thunder 0–2 in the series.
Minnesota finds itself overmatched and overwhelmed in this series with Oklahoma City. The might of the Thunder has been on full display — they’ve won the first two games by an average margin of 20.5 points.
The Thunder are that good — but are the Timberwolves that bad? No. In fact, Minnesota is a formidable team when both Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle are executing. We’ve yet to see that in this series.
Randle led the way in the Game 1 loss, scoring 28, while Edwards put up just 18 points. In Game 2, the roles were reversed, Edwards scoring 32, and Randle ending with just six points on 2 of 11 shooting. That’s after averaging 28 points in his previous four playoff games on a stellar 57% shooting.
Expect Randle to return to form at home tonight. But he’ll need to limit his turnovers and deny OKC transition point opportunities. That’s a tough ask — the pesky Thunder are just so good at forcing steals.
As for the Thunder, they have an abundance of riches. MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 34.5 points over the first two games. There have only been two games in these playoffs in which SGA has scored below 25 points. And one of those was the 51-point blowout of the Memphis Grizzlies, in which he played only 23 minutes.
SGA is guaranteed to have a 30-plus point game tonight. But Edwards and Randle are due for big nights at home, carrying the Timberwolves to what will probably be their only win this series.
Game Prediction: Timberwolves win by a razor-thin margin.
Series Prediction: OKC in five.
Time: 8:30 PM Eastern
Venue: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
TV: ABC
Streaming: ABC and ESPN apps and websites, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, YouTube TV
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