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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
April 20, 2025 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Nuggets Win Thriller: Denver rallied from 15 down to defeat the Clippers in OT

Wolves Steal Home Court: Minnesota splashed 21 3s to defeat the Lakers in L.A.

NY’s Close, Indy’s Start: Knicks rally past Pistons with 4Q run, Pacers race by Bucks early

West Previews: Sunday opens in OKC (Thunder-Grizzlies) & ends in H-Town (Rockets-Warriors)

East Previews: Celtics begin title defense against Magic, Cavaliers host Heat

BUT FIRST … ⏰
Yesterday’s scores & what to watch today…

Four more Game 1s tip off today, beginning with an ABC doubleheader as the West-leading Thunder host the Grizzlies (1 ET) followed by the Celtics opening their title defense against the Magic (3:30 ET).

The nightcap shifts to TNT as the East-leading Cavs host the Heat (7 ET) followed by a showdown in H-Town as the Rockets host the Warriors (9:30 ET).

Today’s Reads: USA Today writes about how Giannis has learned something new each playoff run … The Athletic explains how Donovan Mitchell’s self-sacrifice has paced the Cavs … and The AP charts a ‘wide-open race’ to the title.

1. NUGGETS OUTLAST CLIPPERS IN OVERTIME THRILLER

Russell Westbrook – who played the previous two Playoffs with the Clippers – delivered a pair of clutch plays against his former team on Saturday.

• Go-Ahead 3: Down 1 late in the 4th, Nikola Jokić found an open Westbrook, who drained a corner 3 with 24 seconds left to put the Nuggets up 2. James Harden would tie the game on a runner to force overtime. | Watch the Sequence
• Game-Sealing Turnover: Clinging to a 3-point lead with 10.9 seconds left in OT, Westbrook deflected the Clippers’ inbounds pass off Harden and out of bounds to give Denver possession and ice the game
• “That’s who he is” – Jokić on Westbrook after Denver’s Game 1 win

Nuggets 112, Clippers 110 (OT): Trailing by as many as 15 in the 1st half, the Nuggets rallied to take Game 1 behind a near triple-double from Jokić (29 pts, 9 reb, 12 ast), Aaron Gordon’s 25 points, Jamal Murray’s 21, Westbrook’s clutch plays and Christian Braun’s clutch OT triple. | Recap

• Toe-to-Toe: In a game that featured 11 lead changes, five came in the final 3:37 of regulation as the teams traded big buckets down the stretch. However, the Nuggets never trailed in OT
• LA Trio: Harden led the Clippers with 32 points and 11 dimes, while Kawhi Leonard (22 pts, 6 reb) and Ivica Zubac (Playoff career-high 21 pts, 13 reb) combined to add 43 points
• Moving On Up: Harden passed Larry Bird (1,062) for 8th all-time in Playoff assists and John Havlicek (3,776) for 14th all-time in Playoff points. Westbrook entered the top 20 in Playoff dimes, passing Maurice Cheeks (922)
• What’s Next: The Nuggets hold a 1-0 lead with Game 2 in Denver on Monday (10 ET, TNT)

2. WOLVES RAIN 3s IN L.A., GET ROAD WIN OVER LAKERS 

Trailing 28-21 after the 1st quarter, the Wolves flipped the game in the 2nd, using a 26-6 run and eight 3s to win the frame 38-20, seizing control.

The 3-point barrage continued with seven more in the 3rd – including three as part of an 11-0 run to open the quarter – as Minnesota led by as many as 27. The Lakers cut the lead to 12 in the 4th before the Wolves closed the door. 

Wolves 117, Lakers 95: Jaden McDaniels (25 pts, 3 3pm), Naz Reid (23 pts, 6 3pm) and Anthony Edwards (22 pts, 9 ast, 4 3pm) combined for 70 points and 13 of Minnesota’s franchise Playoff record 21 3s to secure the first road win of the 2025 Playoffs. | Recap

• Ant’s Favorite Players: “The two best players on the floor tonight, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid. Jaden McDaniels is my favorite player of all-time. Naz Reid is my second favorite player of all-time. I need [their] signatures later on.”
  
• Advantage, Wolves: Sparked by Reid’s 23, the Wolves won the battle of the reserves 43-13. Minnesota also dominated fast breaks (25-6) and paint points (44-32)
  
• Luka’s L.A. Playoff Debut: Luka Dončić dropped a game-high 37 points – including a half-court bank shot to beat the 3rd quarter buzzer – tying George Mikan for the 2nd most points in a Lakers Playoff debut
  
• Uncharted Territory: LeBron James (19 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast) became the first player to play in a Playoff game in season 22
• What’s Next: The Wolves lead 1-0 with Game 2 in L.A. on Tuesday (10 ET, TNT)

3. NEW YORK’S CLOSING RUN, INDY’S FAST START DELIVER GAME 1 WINS AT HOME

For the first two-and-a-half quarters of this 3-vs-6 matchup, there were 12 lead changes and 10 ties, with neither team leading by more than seven points.

Then, there were two game-changing runs.

• Detroit Strikes: The Pistons broke a 72-all tie with an 18-9 burst to build a 9-point advantage late in the 3rd quarter
• NY Responds: With Detroit up eight with 9:16 left in the game, the Knicks went on a 21-0 run to take a 111-98 lead with 4:49 left and held on to close the game

Knicks 123, Pistons 112: The backcourt combo of Jalen Brunson (8 of his game-high 34 points) and Cam Payne (9 of his 14 off the bench) fueled New York’s massive 4th quarter run as the Knicks won the final frame 40-21 to take a 1-0 series lead. | Recap

• JB x NY Legends: Brunson posted his 12th 30+ point Playoff game as a Knick, joining Patrick Ewing (18) and Willis Reed (12) in the top 3 in franchise history
• KAT & OG: Karl-Anthony Towns (23 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl) and OG Anunoby (23 pts, 7 reb, 5 stl) combined for 46 points and nine steals with OG being the primary defender on Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham
• Cade’s Debut: Cunningham (21 pts, 12 ast, 6 reb) became the 5th player in NBA history to post at least 20/10/5 in their Playoff debut, joining LeBron James, Trae Young, Oscar Robertson and Isaiah Thomas
• What’s Next: The Knicks hold a 1-0 lead with Game 2 set for Monday (7:30 ET, TNT)

Entering this series, the Pacers had just one win over the Bucks this season – courtesy of a wild 4-point play from Tyrese Haliburton in the closing seconds.

Haliburton and the Pacers didn’t need a miraculous finish on Saturday. Instead, they took care of business early.

Pacers 117, Bucks 98: Indiana outscored Milwaukee 48-25 from 5:04 remaining in the 1st quarter until the end of the opening half, turning a one-point game into a 24-point lead that never dipped under double digits the rest of the game. | Recap 

• Balanced Attack: Pascal Siakam (25 pts on 10-15 FG) and Myles Turner (19 pts, 4 blk, 4 3pm, including the dagger) led six Pacers in double figures, while Haliburton played orchestrator with 12 dimes to just one turnover
• Giannis’ Big Game Not Enough: Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 36 points, but was the only Bucks starter to reach double-digit points. He added 12 boards and two blocks (on the same possession)

• Passing A Legend: With his 12th Playoff game with 35+ points and 10+ rebounds, Giannis passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most such games in Bucks playoff history
  

What’s Next: The Pacers take a 1-0 series lead with Game 2 set for Tuesday (7 ET, NBA TV)

4. WEST 4, GAME 1s: THUNDER HOST GRIZZLIES, WARRIORS VISIT ROCKETS

A year ago, the Thunder made their first Playoff appearance in three years as the No. 1 seed in the West.

• After sweeping the Pelicans in the First Round, OKC’s run was ended in the West Semis by the Mavericks in six games
• A year later, OKC is once again the No. 1 seed in the West – after putting up a league-high and team-record 68 wins – and ready to begin another Playoff run
• It begins today (1 ET, ABC) with Game 1 against Memphis, a team the Thunder have beat nine straight times dating back to Dec. 2022

All Eyes On SGA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his first scoring title, averaging a career-best and franchise-record 32.7 points per game. He was even better against Memphis, averaging 36.3 ppg on 53.7/41.2% shooting splits in four games

• He’s Not Alone: Jalen Williams (19.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.8 apg vs. Memphis) earned his first All-Star nod this season, while Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso lead the defense

Strength vs. Strength: While OKC brings the NBA’s top-ranked defense (106.6 DefRtg), the Grizzlies counter with the league’s 2nd-highest scoring offense (121.7 ppg).

• Slew of Scorers: Led by Ja Morant (23.2), Jaren Jackson Jr. (22.2) and Desmond Bane (19.2), the Grizzlies had nine players average 8+ ppg while appearing in 50+ games. Two of those nine – Jaylen Wells and Brandon Clarke – are now out with injuries
• Battle Tested: The Grizzlies went 1-1 in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament to earn the 8 seed, dropping a thriller to Golden State in the 7-vs-8 game before beating the Mavs by 14 win Friday’s win-or-go-home finale

The last time the city of Houston hosted a Playoff game, the Rockets fell to the Warriors in Game 6 of the 2019 West Semis, as Golden State ended Houston’s season for the fourth time in five years.

Six years later, Playoff basketball return to H-Town tonight (9:30 ET, TNT) with a new-look Rockets squad, but some familiar opponents in Golden State’s Steph Curry and Draymond Green, who are eyeing a fifth title run.

• Liftoff: After eight straight Playoff appearances (2013-20), Houston began to reinvent its roster, with a mix of young draft picks in Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun (2021), Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason (2022) and Amen Thompson (2023) along with experienced veterans in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks
• Leading With Defense: Under second-year coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets finished 5th in defensive rating (110.3), led by Thompson, who held opponents to 40.7 FG%, the lowest among 219 players who defended at least 500 shots
• Breakthrough: After dropping 15 straight games to Golden State (dating back to 2020-21), Houston snapped the streak with a hard-fought 91-90 win on Dec. 11 in the NBA Cup quarterfinals – giving the young Rockets a taste of a Playoff-like atmosphere

The Warriors went 23-8 (3rd in NBA) to close the season after acquiring Jimmy Butler III from Miami. Although they missed a shot at the 6 seed with an OT loss to the Clippers in the regular-season finale, the Warriors earned the 7 seed with their first-ever Play-In win.

• All Eyes On Steph: This season, Curry averaged 24.5 ppg and hit 300+ 3s for the 6th time in his career. But only nine of those triples came against Houston, who held Curry to 16.3 ppg on 36.4% FG% and 30% 3P% over three games
• Playoff Jimmy: In his first high-stakes game as a Warrior, Butler III dropped a game-high 38 points – to go with Steph’s 37 – to lead Golden State past Memphis in the Play-In

5. EAST GAME 1s: CELTICS OPEN TITLE DEFENSE VS. MAGIC, CAVS HOST HEAT

The two top teams in the Eastern Conference tip off their Playoff journeys this Sunday, as the history-making Cavaliers and defending champion Celtics take to the hardwood.

The Celtics begin their quest to repeat against the tough-minded Orlando Magic, one of the top defensive teams in the league. The Magic were first in opponent points per game this season with 105.5; the Celtics were second at 107.2.

The Magic won the season series against Boston 2-1, holding the Celtics to 76 points in their most recent battle on April 9 – their lowest total since Jan. 2021.

• Know Your Opposition: The Magic are one of four teams to win their season series against Boston this season
• Anthony All The Way: Cole Anthony dropped 17 points and 5.7 rebounds on 51.4 FG% in the three games against the Celtics – well above his season averages of 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per game

Boston made more 3-pointers than any team in NBA history this season, knocking down 1,457 as a team. Will their high-powered offense overpower the Magic?

• Three’s A Party: Boston’s the first team to have three players make 250+ threes in a season – Derrick White (265), Payton Pritchard (255) and Jayson Tatum (250)
• The Counter: The Magic defense allowed the fewest 3-pointers made (11.4 per game) and attempted (31.4 per game) this season 

The Cavaliers took the lead in the Eastern Conference on Oct. 30 – and never looked back, staying settled in the top seed through the season.

Cleveland put up 64 wins (2nd-most in franchise history), earned 26 clutch wins (tied for most in the Association) and became the second team in NBA history to rack up three different streaks of 12+ wins during the regular season.

• They’re led by a truly dominant offense. The Cavs ranked 1st in Points Per Game, Offensive Rating, Effective Field Goal Percentage & True Shooting Percentage
• Spida Time: Donovan Mitchell’s career scoring average (28.1 ppg) in the Playoffs ranks 7th all- time – up from 24.7 in the regular season
• Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen are ready to take their game to the Playoffs as well. Garland assisted Allen 138 times during the regular season – 7th-most by any duo in the league

The Miami Heat, who became the first 10 seed to make the Playoffs on Friday, are ready to meet them.

While the Cavaliers took the season series against Miami 2-1, Heat cornerstone Bam Adebayo made his presence felt. 

• Bam averaged 23.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game against Cleveland on 55.6 / 53.8 shooting splits. The battle in the middle will be crucial this series, as he faces off with the rangy Evan Mobley and physical Allen
• Rolling In Miami: Since March 21, the Heat are one of the best defensive teams in the league, posting the 3rd-best defensive rating (107.7) through the end of the season
• Herro-ics: Tyler Herro averaged 34 points per game in the Play-In, getting hot to lead the Heat into the Playoffs