2025 NBA playoffs: Western Conference round one takeaways

The 2024-25 NBA playoffs are underway, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game in the march to the Finals.

All season long, the Western Conference standings were in constant flux, and Saturday’s games hinted at what should be some dramatic first-round matchups. The No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets rallied to an overtime win over the 5-seed The Clippers to take Game 1, thanks to some late-game heroics by Russell Westbrook. In the late game, the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves pounced on the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers as Anthony Edwards got the best of LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

Sunday’s matchups will see MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder welcome Ja more and the 8-seed Memphis Grizzlies. Following that game, the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets — one of the season’s most improved teams — will begin their clash with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors.

Here’s what stood out from Saturday’s results as we get you ready for Sunday’s games.

Jump to a series:
Thunder-Grizzlies | Rockets-Warriors
Lakers-Timberwolves | Nuggets-Clippers

More coverage:
East first-round takeaways
Schedules and results | Offseason guides

(Timberwolves lead series, 1-0)

Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95

What we learned in Game 1:
The Lakers organization geared up for Game 1 by distributing a hype video with their postseason motto “Unleash Joy.” The video, in the Lakers’ words, was meant to tip off their “2025 Playoff Run.” The anticipation for a deep playoff push was understandable, considering how well L.A. played after trading for Luka Doncic and securing the No. 3 seed in the West.

And the way Saturday started, with Doncic personally outscoring Minnesota with 14 points as L.A. went up 20-12 early in the first, that story was seemingly going to plan. But nobody in L.A.’s marketing department considered that the Wolves, who lost to Doncic in the conference finals a year ago, would become the main characters.

“We know not many people are picking us,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said pregame. “I think our guys have leaned into that a little bit.”

After Doncic’s initial flourish, the Wolves took control in the second and third quarters, leading by as many as 27 points as they owned the boards (44-38) and spread out the Lakers’ defense by making the extra pass to open shooters (hitting a franchise postseason record 21-of-42 from 3). The run-up to this series focused on Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves on one side and Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle on the other. However, Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid combined for 48 points on 19-for-25 shooting to completely outperform L.A.’s role players and put the Wolves in the driver’s seat.

Game 2: Timberwolves at Lakers (Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)

What to watch in Game 2:
Lakers starting center Jaxson Hayes played only eight minutes, with coach JJ Redick opting for Jarred Vanderbilt at the 5 and using his activity (and some of his extracurricular efforts to get under the Wolves players’ skin) to try to make a dent in the monstrous deficit, getting as close as 12. Redick will have a decision to make regarding whether he will want to give Hayes a second look — that starting group was 10-3 in the regular season — or make his first chess move of the series going small from the start, ceding the size disadvantage.

— Dave McMenamin

Game 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110 (OT)

What we learned in Game 1:
Denver can take a punch — literally. Nikola Jokic got hit in the face by an errant Derrick Jones Jr. forearm, picked up a technical foul for arguing the non-call and somehow rallied the Nuggets back from a 15-point deficit to win this game in overtime. Russell Westbrook was incredible on the glass with clutch offensive rebounds, putbacks and even a key 3-pointer down the stretch. It was his first career go-ahead 3 inside the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime in his playoff career. Jamal Murray shook off a poor first half to finish with two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Aaron Gordon had six of the Nuggets’ 14 points in overtime to seal the win.

The Clippers will wonder what would have happened if James Harden wasn’t in foul trouble for most of the game. He was brilliant for the team but the Nuggets survived with grit and might just have rediscovered their championship swagger after a tumultuous final week of the regular season.

Game 2: Clippers at Nuggets (Monday, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)

What to watch in Game 2:
Both teams looked gassed by the end of this slugfest and have just one day to recover before Game 2 on Monday. The Clippers probably would have won this easily if they’d been tighter with the ball. They gave up 29 points off 20 turnovers Saturday. The only Clippers who should get credit for holding on to the ball are probably associate head coach Jeff Van Gundy and trainer Jasen Powell, who teamed up to win a wrestling match with Jokic late in the fourth quarter. On the Denver side, the Nuggets will need more from Michael Porter Jr. to have a chance in this series. He scored Denver’s first points of the game and wasn’t a factor the rest of the way, finishing with just three points in 26 minutes.

— Ramona Shelburne

Game 1: Grizzlies at Thunder (Sunday, April 20, 1 p.m. ET, ABC)

One thing to watch from the Thunder:
Given we’re talking about a team that came just two wins short of 70 wins and finished with the best point differential in NBA history, the best-case scenario is winning the championship with ease. The two largest margins of victory in recent vintage came from the 2016-17 Warriors, who went a record 16-1 in the playoffs, and last year’s Celtics, who finished 16-3. That kind of dominance is hardly out of the question for Oklahoma City, although the Thunder are all but certain to face stiffer postseason competition than last year’s Celtics did. — Kevin Pelton

One thing to watch from the Grizzlies:
By the time March rolled around Memphis was starting to slide, losing its first three games to start the month and eventually dropping 10 of 16 games. That led to the firing on Mar. 28 of Taylor Jenkins, the winningest coach in franchise history, and the promotion of new staffer Tuomas Iisalo to interim head coach. The move was made to optimize Ja Morant, who thrives with the ball in his hands. Memphis lost its first three games under the new regime but team appears be adjusting to Iisalo. — Michael C. Wright

Game 1: Warriors at Rockets (Sunday, April 20, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)

One thing to watch from the Rockets:
When the action slows and every possession matters, can Houston consistently generate enough half-court offense to best a battle-tested Warriors club for an entire seven-game series? It’s a conundrum Rockets coach Ime Udoka had already been pondering as his team closed the regular season, leaning into its physical identity while working to clean up issues on offense. The last time Udoka faced Golden State in the playoffs, he was the coach in Boston and watched Stephen Curry average 31.2 points against his Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. Fortunately for the Rockets, they might have the ideal Curry-stopper in rising star Amen Thompsonwho locked down Curry when the teams met April 6, holding him to 1-for-10 shooting. Can Thompson handle such an important responsibility in the first postseason series of his career? — Michael C. Wright

One thing to watch from the Warriors:
The Warriors will have to figure out a way to free Curry of Houston’s physical defenders like Thompson and Dillon Brooks. But that is where Jimmy Butler III comes in. He will not only have to help Curry with the scoring load, but also carry the critical non-Curry minutes. And then the 6-foot-6 Draymond Green will have to find a way to contain 6-11 Alperen Sengun inside, especially on the glass, despite the height disadvantage. — Ohm Youngmisuk