The 2025 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game in the march to the Finals.
Cade Cunningham and the No. 6 seed Detroit Pistons welcomed the No. 3 seed New York Knicks to the Motor City on Thursday, but dropped their first game at home after Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 61 points to take a 2-1 series lead.
Friday’s action saw the No. 2 Boston Celtics lose Game 3 against the No. 7 seed Orlando Magic with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero combing for 61 points. The No. 5 seed Milwaukee Bucks defeated the No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers for their first victory in the series. In the other East matchup, the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers will resume their series with the No. 8 seed Miami Heat on Saturday.
As the East playoffs continue, here’s what matters most and what to watch for in all four series.
Jump to a series:
Cavaliers-Heat | Celtics-Magic
Knicks-Pistons | Pacers-Bucks
More coverage:
West first-round takeaways
Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Friday’s games
Game 3: Magic 95, Celtics 93
What we learned:
Jayson Tatum’s right wrist appears to be fine. In his return after sitting out Game 2 — the first playoff game he has ever missed — the Celtics’ superstar scored 36 points, hitting from midrange, long range and at the rim. But Tatum’s effort was all for naught in this thrilling Magic win. In another sign that the defending champions struggle with Orlando’s rough-and-tumble physicality, the Celtics committed 21 turnovers, one more than their season high, and made just nine 3-pointers, two shy of their season low. Credit the gritty Magic, who proved again that they can knock Boston’s high-octane offense off track while receiving big nights from key players — in this instance, 32 points from Franz Wagner and 29 from Paolo Banchero.
Game 4: Celtics at Magic (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch:
Can the Celtics take care of the ball? Can their 3-point barrage get on track? We’ll see. But this much is true: Boston is banged up, with three starters — Tatum (wrist), Jaylen Brown (right knee) and Jrue Holiday (who missed Game 3 with a right hamstring strain) — all suffering some ailment. If the second-seeded Celtics want to repeat, they must wrap this series up sooner rather than later, especially for some much-needed rest and recuperation between rounds.
— Baxter Holmes
Game 3: Bucks 117, Pacers 101
What we learned:
The Bucks are finally on the board in this series thanks to a career-high 37 points from forward Gary Trent Jr. His nine 3-pointers Friday matched Ray Allen for the most in a Bucks’ playoff game. Trent was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this series as coach Doc Rivers looked for a spark a stagnant offense. And Trent helped unlock it in the third quarter, hitting five 3-pointers for 18 points as Milwaukee outscored Indiana by 21 in the quarter. It was a welcome scoring outburst to provide help for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was brilliant once again, adding 37 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
Game 4: Pacers at Bucks (Sunday, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch:
Milwaukee certainly needed every bit of Trent’s offense to get back into this series, but it needs more consistent production around Antetokounmpo if it plans to keep it going. Damian Lillard struggled to find his offensive rhythm, scoring seven points on 2-of-12 shooting with five assists, and Kyle Kuzma went 4-of-9 and played 19 minutes. The Pacers were leading by double digits at halftime and were getting comfortable with wide-open looks in the first half as they did during the first two games before the Bucks came out with a better effort in the second half. Can Milwaukee maintain that same defensive intensity in Game 4?
— Jamal Collier
Game 3: Knicks 118, Pistons 116
What we learned:
The Knicks have just as much ability to dust themselves off after a tough playoff loss as the Pistons.
Following a brutal Game 2 from Karl-Anthony Towns in which he was roundly criticized for logging just 10 points and six rebounds, including a scoreless second half, the big man came out aggressively and bounced back with a game-high 31 points to go with eight rebounds.
New York’s entire starting five contributed to the victory. Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges all scored 20 or more points, while Josh Hart had 11 rebounds and nine assists.
New York withstood several Pistons runs and one of the more hostile road crowds this group of Knicks has encountered, including a vulgar, stadium-wide chant aimed at Brunson.
Game 4: Knicks at Pistons (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, ABC)
What to watch:
Where does the drama go from here? The Pistons figure to bring a sense of desperation into Sunday, knowing they potentially could be down 3-1 on the way back to New York. The physicality and the frustration, which yielded five technicals and a flagrant, may be at a fever pitch in Game 4.
Secondarily, and key for Detroit: Will Malik Beasley, who finished second in the league in triples with 319, find his rhythm Sunday? He has hit just three of his past 18 attempts from outside.
— Chris Herring
Game 2: Cavaliers 121, Heat 112
What we learned:
The Cavs can be a devastating shooting team, but they’ve been streaky coming down the stretch, ranking first in 3-point shooting over the season’s first five months but just 17th over the season’s last six weeks. That manifested itself in Game 2, as the Cavs set an NBA record by making 11 3-pointers in the second quarter — and made 14 of their first 21 overall to take a 19-point lead — but went just 4-of-15 from deep in the third quarter. The game started to turn, and it enabled the Heat to make a turnaround led by Davion Mitchell and the relentless spirit they showed coming down the stretch of the season to make it a one-possession game in the fourth. But it was Donovan Mitchell who was the game’s hero, scoring 17 points in the fourth to rescue a flatlining Cavs offense.
Game 3: Cavaliers at Heat (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, TNT)
What to watch:
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s move to put Mitchell in his starting lineup after an impressive past few weeks was inspired. He nearly led Miami to a stunning comeback by being a pest on defense and stressing out the Cavs’ defense with drives on offense, scoring 14 in the fourth alone. Tyler Herro, who had trouble getting open in the second half of Game 1, also gave the Heat reason to believe in making this a series with a 33-point game.
— Brian Windhorst