Players under pressure, Nuggets' needs: What to know after the first week of the second round

The 2nd circular of the 2025 NBA playoffs has featured overtime thrillers and fourth-quarter comebacks.

None of the higher-seeded teams successful the league semifinals was capable to seizure a triumph successful Game 1. Since then, the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves person been capable to bounce back.

But the unit is connected with injuries to stars specified arsenic Stephen Curry and Karl-Anthony Towns hanging dense implicit their respective teams.

After a Round 2 commencement afloat of surprises and back-and-forth series, our NBA insiders interruption down the biggest takeaways, players nether unit and what to ticker arsenic teams effort to interruption done to the league finals.

(3) New York Knicks vs. (2) Boston Celtics

Who is nether the astir unit for Monday's captious Game 4?

I cognize what you're supposed to say. It's Jayson Tatum and his lightning rod crippled of agelong jumpers and the occasional occurrences of avoiding contact. Or Jaylen Brown, whose shooting successful the bid has been lone marginally amended than Tatum's pugnacious percentages. (Brown is simply a woeful 5-of-23 connected 3-pointers.) But the world is the Celtics, for each their extracurricular bricklaying, inactive person 5 guys averaging successful treble figures and an established way grounds arsenic a wrecking ball.

The Knicks really could usage a signature crippled from All-Star defender Jalen Brunson connected Monday night. His support standing successful New York is sky-high, and rightly so, due to the fact that his clutch performances are legendary. But instrumentality a measurement backmost and the uncomfortable information is that Brunson is getting smothered by the Celtics' rotation of defenders, particularly Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Brunson is shooting conscionable 38% successful the series. And Boston is keeping him disconnected the line; Brunson has conscionable 18 trips successful the 3 games, which is 33% little than helium averaged against the Detroit Pistons successful the archetypal round. The Knicks are averaging conscionable 95 points successful regularisation and shooting a lowly 42% successful the series. Plus, Karl-Anthony Towns is present dealing with a left-hand injury, and the Celtics are much determined than ever to intentionally foul Mitchell Robinson, who is simply a ruinous 7-of-23 astatine the foul line, to bargain Knicks possessions. -- Brian Windhorst

(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (1) Oklahoma City Thunder

This bid volition spell to Game 7 if ____?

Nikola Jokic rediscovers his shooting interaction successful 1 of the adjacent 2 games. The three-time MVP is successful an unprecedented funk, shooting nether 40% from the level successful 3 consecutive games with astatine slightest 15 attempts for the archetypal clip successful his vocation (regular play oregon playoffs), according to ESPN Research. Jokic, 1 of the astir businesslike superstars successful NBA history, changeable 33.3% during that three-game stretch, and helium has much turnovers than assists successful the series. Oklahoma City's top-ranked defence deserves a batch of recognition for making Jokic's occupation difficult, and it volition proceed to use the unit arsenic this bid rolls on. -- Tim MacMahon

(7) Golden State Warriors vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves

What is the Wolves' biggest weakness, and however bash the Warriors exploit that without Stephen Curry?

As 1 of 4 teams successful the league to fertile successful the apical 10 successful some discourtesy and defence during the regular season, the Timberwolves don't person galore large vulnerabilities. And Minnesota's 23-6 grounds since the calendar turned to March lone reinforces that. However, the Wolves haven't ever protected the hoops the mode a squad that should beryllium totally locked into the worth of each possession would beryllium expected to. Even though Minnesota is up 2-1 connected Golden State, the Wolves person committed much turnovers than the Warriors successful 2 retired of the 3 games, including 21-15 successful Game 3. Despite winning the turnover battle, Golden State lone scored 13 points disconnected the Wolves' miscues successful Game 3, portion the Wolves scored 16 points disconnected the Warriors' mistakes. If the Warriors tin proceed to usage Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski, Gary Payton II and Jonathan Kuminga to harass the Wolves' shot handlers and get a small much organized successful their modulation crippled erstwhile they bash unit a Minnesota blunder, Golden State mightiness beryllium capable to bargain a triumph to widen the bid and springiness Curry a accidental to heal his near hamstring for a Game 6 return. -- Dave McMenamin

(4) Indiana Pacers vs. (1) Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs tin bounce backmost successful this bid if they ____?

Rediscover their historically large discourtesy from the regular season. Cleveland had the No. 1 violative standing successful the NBA. But extracurricular of Donovan Mitchell, it's been a conflict offensively each series, culminating successful Game 4's blowout nonaccomplishment that enactment the Cavs connected the brink of elimination. In the archetypal fractional of Sunday night's contest, the Cavs scored 39 points portion generating 3 assists and committing 14 turnovers. To marque matters worse, Mitchell, who is averaging the astir points successful a playoff bid by a Cavs subordinate since LeBron James, did not play successful the 2nd fractional due to the fact that of an ankle injury. -- Jamal Collier

Bonus!

What has been the biggest astonishment of the 2nd circular truthful far?

This season, for the archetypal clip successful NBA history, 3 teams posted an mean constituent differential of plus-9 oregon amended per game. Then those aforesaid squads -- the Thunder, the Cavaliers and the Celtics -- cruised successful the archetypal round, going a combined 12-1 against overmatched play-in teams. They each seemed connected a collision people for the league finals and the NBA Finals.

So, adjacent portion acknowledging the relation that injuries and shooting luck person played, it's an immense astonishment that this trio is collectively struggling successful the 2nd round. The large 3 from the regular play are a combined 4-7 against Denver, Indiana and New York, respectively, successful these playoffs. Those aforesaid large 3 mightiness each inactive advance, arsenic expected. But the unexpected parity has made for much entertaining games and a much competitory circular overall. -- Zach Kram

My NBA Finals picks are:

Even though some trailed 2-1 arsenic of Sunday morning, I'm sticking with the Celtics and the Thunder. Boston's Game 3 show was a reminder of its matchup advantages against the Knicks erstwhile it makes 3s. With the top-seeded Cavaliers astatine little than afloat strength, the Celtics would surely beryllium favored if they marque the Eastern Conference finals. Out West, Minnesota is the safest stake connected the committee to scope the league finals and besides has matched up good with Oklahoma City this season. Still, the Thunder are backmost successful a presumption of having home-court vantage passim the playoffs, making them the favorites. -- Kevin Pelton