2025 NBA playoffs: Eastern and Western conference finals takeaways
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The 2025 NBA conference finals have tipped off, with four teams fighting for a spot in the Finals.
The No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, after a tough seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets, kicked off the Western Conference finals Tuesday night. They defeated Anthony Edwards and the visiting No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points and then took a 2-0 lead in the series in Game 2 on Thursday night. The Thunder will now travel to Target Center for Games 3 and 4, as the Timberwolves will look to bounce back at home.
In the East, the No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers completed an improbable comeback against the No. 3 seed New York Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden after Tyrese Haliburton made a tying field goal at the buzzer of the fourth quarter to force OT. The Knicks and Pacers will look to make their first Finals appearance since 1999 and 2000, respectively.
As these elite teams face off, our NBA insiders break down their biggest takeaways from every matchup and what to watch for in both conference showdowns.NBA NBA
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Follo for more up10 Nigerian Police Men Involved In T.errible A.ccident While chasing a suspected Y.ahoo Boy (Photos)
The 2025 NBA conference finals have tipped off, with four teams fighting for a spot in the Finals.
The No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, after a tough seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets, kicked off the Western Conference finals Tuesday night. They defeated Anthony Edwards and the visiting No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points and then took a 2-0 lead in the series in Game 2 on Thursday night. The Thunder will now travel to Target Center for Games 3 and 4, as the Timberwolves will look to bounce back at home.
In the East, the No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers completed an improbable comeback against the No. 3 seed New York Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden after Tyrese Haliburton made a tying field goal at the buzzer of the fourth quarter to force OT. The Knicks and Pacers will look to make their first Finals appearance since 1999 and 2000, respectively.
As these elite teams face off, our NBA insiders break down their biggest takeaways from every matchup and what to watch for in both conference showdowns.
Jump to a series:
Pacers-Knicks | Timberwolves-Thunder
More coverage:
Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Western Conference
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(1) Oklahoma City Thunder lead (6) Minnesota Timberwolves 2-0
Game 2: Thunder 118, Timberwolves 103
Biggest takeaways for the Thunder: Once again, Oklahoma City overwhelmed Minnesota in the third quarter. In this instance, the Thunder outscored the Timberwolves 35-21, a 14-point margin identical to that of Game 1’s third quarter. Those dozen minutes on Thursday encapsulated why Oklahoma City has been so dominant all season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in complete control on the offensive end, scoring 11 of his 38 points and making two of his eight assists. The Thunder’s defense swarmed and smothered, holding the Timberwolves to 6-of-20 shooting and forcing five turnovers that Oklahoma City converted into 12 points. And the Thunder’s deep bench made its presence felt with Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso cranking the defensive chaos up a couple of notches. — Tim MacMahon
Biggest takeaways for the Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards vowed to shoot more after putting up only 13 attempts in the Wolves’ blowout loss in Game 1 and did so in the Wolves’ Game 2 loss on Thursday. His 18 attempts in the first half were his most in any half of a playoff game in his career, and he finished with 32 points on 12-for-26 shooting. But it didn’t matter. Too many of the same issues that plagued Minnesota in the series opener popped up again in Game 2: turnovers (14, resulting in 22 points for the Thunder), missed 3s (11-for-39 overall, with Edwards going 1-for-9) and letting go of the rope in the third quarter (OKC used a 14-2 run in Game 2, mirroring the 17-2 death knell the Thunder sprang on the Wolves in Game 1). And an unexpected challenge also presented itself for the Wolves: Julius Randle struggled through his first bad game of the postseason. Randle, limited to six points on 2-for-11 shooting and four turnovers, was benched in the fourth as Minnesota coach Chris Finch went with Naz Reid (10 points, eight rebounds, 0-for-5 from 3) instead. Give the Wolves some credit for cutting the deficit to 10 in the final minutes after the Thunder’s lead had swelled to 24, but it never felt as though like Oklahoma City was in jeopardy of losing. The only solace Minnesota can take into Game 3 is that there is no mystery why it is trailing 2-0. What needs to be addressed as the conference finals shift to Target Center is abundantly apparent. — Dave McMenamin
