Following an exciting first round featuring intense Game 7s and decisive sweeps, the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs is set to begin.
The top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers advanced first in the East with a dominant sweep of the Miami Heat. They are scheduled to play Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, who eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks for the second consecutive season.
The Boston Celtics, aiming for a second straight NBA Finals appearance after winning in 2024, will face a resilient New York Knicks team. New York is coming off a challenging first-round series against the Detroit Pistons.
In the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets advanced from a demanding seven-game series against the LA Clippers. They will meet the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in a highly anticipated matchup featuring MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. The Minnesota Timberwolves will play the Golden State Warriors, who won their Game 7 against the Houston Rockets.
Before the second round kicks off, our NBA experts analyze the key questions for each series, including which underdog has the best chance to advance and the most exciting individual player matchup to watch.
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Indiana Pacers (4)
In a battle of two high-octane offenses, which team`s scoring will dominate?
Despite their difference in regular-season records, these two teams have performed similarly over the past few months. Since January 1st, the Cavaliers have a 35-14 record, closely followed by the Pacers at 34-14. Cleveland maintained the top spot in the East largely due to their offensive prowess, leading the NBA in scoring at 121.9 points per game. This is the second-highest scoring rate in the last 40 years, just behind the Pacers` 123.3 points in 2023-24. In the first round of these playoffs, Cleveland ranked first (136.2) and Indiana second (118.0) in points per 100 possessions.
Both teams prefer a fast pace, and the outcome of this series might hinge on which offense can establish greater control and dominance.
The Pacers will make their second straight ECF if _______?
Haliburton successfully dictates the tempo of the series against Cleveland`s All-Star guards. Indiana has a slight edge in recent playoff experience compared to most of Cleveland`s core. The Pacers` success is largely tied to Haliburton`s performance. He has delivered crucial playoff moments in the past two years, including a key win against the Knicks last season and the game-winning shot to eliminate the Bucks in this year`s first round.
Adding to Cleveland`s challenge, the status of two-time All-Star Darius Garland, who missed the last two first-round games with a toe injury, is uncertain. If Haliburton finds his rhythm, effectively stretches the floor, and forces Cleveland`s larger players to defend on the perimeter, the Pacers could create uncomfortable situations for the Cavaliers.
Donovan Mitchell averaged 23.8 points and four assists in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
Best bet: Cavaliers -1.5 games (-180)
I anticipate the Cavaliers winning this series convincingly. While the Pacers won the regular-season series, the circumstances were misleading. Two of those wins occurred in April after Cleveland had secured the top seed and rested starters. Another Pacers win happened before a key trade involving De`Andre Hunter and with Ty Jerome absent. A full-strength Cavaliers team is significantly better than the Pacers and capable of beating them even at their preferred style. My official prediction is Cavaliers in six games, but a five-game series win is also possible.
Boston Celtics (2) vs. New York Knicks (3)
After losing all four regular-season games against the Celtics, what is the Knicks` most critical adjustment?
New York must desperately find a way to better contest Boston`s shooters. The Knicks frequently used pick-and-roll drop coverage against Boston during the regular season, a strategy that proved costly as the Celtics made an average of 21 three-pointers per game, shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc in those four losses.
Increased minutes for backup center Mitchell Robinson, who has the agility to defend higher on screens, will be crucial, along with tactical defensive changes.
The Celtics` main concern in this series is _____?
Jrue Holiday`s health and availability. Holiday missed the final three games of the first round against Orlando due to a hamstring injury. He was a significant factor in the regular-season games against New York, averaging 16 points and three assists while shooting 67% in three appearances.
Crucially, he is one of Boston`s primary defenders for Jalen Brunson, who scored 30 or more points in five of six first-round games. According to data, Holiday defended Brunson for 80 possessions in the regular season, limiting him to just six points on 3-for-6 shooting during that time.
Best bet: Exact series total games — six (+295)
The Knicks have struggled against Boston, losing eight of their last nine contests. They also just completed a physically demanding series against the Detroit Pistons. Although New York will pose a tougher challenge than Orlando did in the first round, the Celtics possess superior offensive firepower with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and strong depth, including Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard. They also boast a solid defense. While Boston won`t sweep New York, I anticipate them closing out the series with relative ease.
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Denver Nuggets (4)
How can Murray and Jokic overcome OKC`s top-ranked defense?
They could start by reviewing the film from their last meeting on March 10 in Oklahoma City, where the Nuggets won 140-127. This game marked Jokic`s most efficient shooting performance against the Thunder this season, scoring 35 points on 15-of-20 shooting and adding eight assists. Murray also had a strong showing that night with 34 points, more than his combined total from the other two games he played against Oklahoma City this season.
Murray will require assistance from Jokic and other teammates to free him from the tenacious defense of Lu Dort, who is among the league`s best at navigating screens.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic are finalists for MVP and will face off in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Which MVP candidate will have the greater impact on this series?
If the Nuggets hope to pull off an upset, Nikola Jokic will need to be the more impactful player. The Thunder are widely considered the more talented and deeper team, demonstrated by their league-leading 68 wins and breaking the NBA record for point differential in a season.
However, the Thunder are arguably one of the best-equipped teams to contain Jokic, featuring defensive-minded seven-footers like Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, alongside several guards and wings skilled at disrupting passing lanes. Conversely, Denver lacks a player capable of taking on the primary defensive assignment against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at an All-Defensive level.
Best bet: Exact series total games — five (+175)
Last summer, I predicted the Thunder would win the championship this year, and nothing I`ve seen so far has changed my mind. However, any team with `Playoff Jamal Murray` and Nikola Jokic is a genuine threat to win games, and even the series. Finding value in this series is challenging, but I believe Denver is capable of winning at least one game, making the +175 payout for a 4-1 Thunder victory reasonable. While a Thunder sweep or Denver winning more games is possible, five games feels like the most sensible prediction to me. The teams split the regular season series 2-2, but I would be surprised if Denver secures that many wins in this playoff matchup.
Minnesota Timberwolves (6) vs. Golden State Warriors (7)
How can Kerr devise a plan to stop Anthony Edwards?
Steve Kerr and his coaching staff, including defensive coach Jerry Stackhouse, have limited time to develop a strategy to slow down Edwards for Game 1. Edwards enters this series brimming with confidence following his first-round performance against the Lakers, where he averaged 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in the win. Kerr is well aware of Edwards` talent, having coached him with USA Basketball. Edwards averaged 26 points against the Warriors during the regular season, though Minnesota lost three of the four matchups. The most recent game was January 15th, but both teams have evolved since then, with Minnesota displaying greater confidence and Golden State finding a rhythm, especially with Jimmy Butler III. The Warriors will need to draw on their championship experience and playoff pedigree to challenge Edwards, utilizing multiple defenders against the three-time All-Star. Kerr could assign Draymond Green to Edwards, but Green will also need to contend with Minnesota`s formidable frontcourt. Steph Curry commented on Edwards` form, saying, “He`s playing with supreme confidence… We know they had their run last year [to the Western Conference Finals] and a new look with Randle. But same Ant who`s trying to take strides with every opportunity he gets and it`s going to be a tough challenge. We know we got to send multiple bodies at him and figure out a game plan to go at him. But yeah, they`re hot right now.”
How can the smaller Warriors avoid the Lakers` issues against Gobert, McDaniels, Randle, and Reid?
Firstly, Draymond Green must maintain his composure and avoid foul trouble or technical/flagrant fouls, particularly given his history with Rudy Gobert. Green acknowledged setting a poor tone in Game 6 against Houston with an early flagrant foul and addressed the team emotionally before Game 7. Golden State struggled significantly against Houston`s size, including Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, and had difficulty containing the athletic Amen Thompson inside. The Warriors were outrebounded by a total of 51 over the seven-game series, winning the rebounding battle in only one game (Game 5). They face a similar challenge on the boards against Minnesota`s bigs: Gobert, Randle, McDaniels, and Naz Reid. The Warriors could increase Kevon Looney`s role and potentially utilize rookie Quinten Post, despite his recent struggles, due to his ability to stretch the floor. Butler can also help by being aggressive offensively and trying to draw fouls on Minnesota`s big men.
Best bet: Series total games — over 5.5 (-175)
The odds are heavily skewed here, but it reflects a reasonable expectation. Simply put, this is the most difficult second-round series to predict. Neither team appears to have a decisive advantage, suggesting a long and competitive series. The Timberwolves possess toughness, athleticism, and attitude similar to the Rockets, whom the Warriors just faced. However, Minnesota offers significantly more offensive talent in various forms. This matchup appears destined for a lengthy battle, which makes the price on over 5.5 games more acceptable in this context.
Bonus Questions
The underdog most likely to advance is _____?
Teams like the Timberwolves, who transition from underdogs to favorites between rounds, have a mixed history. Since 2020, this has occurred six times, with the newly favored team holding a 3-3 record in those series. Minnesota experienced this last year in the conference finals; after being underdogs against Denver in the second round without home-court advantage, they were favored against the Dallas Mavericks as the higher seed but lost in five games. While I still lean towards Minnesota winning, believing Golden State`s deep playoff run will eventually catch up, I consider this series essentially a toss-up.
What is the most intriguing player matchup in the second round?
Can I choose Shai Gilgeous-Alexander versus Nikola Jokic? The last time the top two finishers in MVP voting faced off in the playoffs was James Harden against Russell Westbrook in 2017. At that time, during the short-lived NBA awards show era, the MVP results weren`t known yet. This time, it`s possible the trophy could be awarded during the series, similar to 1995 when David Robinson received his MVP award before Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against reigning MVP Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon famously responded with 41 points and 16 rebounds as the Rockets won in San Antonio.
