The Round 2 bracket in the 2025 NBA playoffs is underway.
The eight first-round series have been decided, with the West’s No. 7 Golden State Warriors upsetting the No. 2 Houston Rockets in a Game 7 battle to close out the opening round.
The East semifinals features each of the top four seeds. The No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a dominant four-game sweep of No. 8 Miami Heat and now look to book their first trip to the conference finals since 2018. Cleveland is up against last year’s East runners-up in the No. 4 Indiana Pacers. Indiana, seeking its first ever NBA title, is coming off a five-game series win over the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks.
The defending NBA champions are still in the postseason field, as the No. 2 Boston Celtics bounced the No. 7 Orlando Magic in five games. Boston continues its repeat bid against the No. 3 New York Knicks, who beat the No. 6 Detroit Pistons in a tightly contested six-game series. New York hasn’t made the conference finals since 2000.
The West side of Round 2 bracket will include two bottom-four seeds. The No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves upset Luka Doncic, LeBron James and the No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Anthony Edwards and Co. last year recorded the franchise’s second conference finals berth, and they’ll have to beat Golden State to get back there.
Just like the Cavs, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder advanced with sweep, taking down the No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies. OKC will be trying to make the conference finals for the first time since 2016 as it takes on the 2023 champion Denver Nuggets. The No. 4 Nuggets outlasted the No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers in seven games to set up a second-round showdown between two MVP finalists in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
From the matchups to the schedule and more, here’s what to know about Round 2:
Do the NBA playoffs reseed teams?
The NBA playoffs follow a bracket format and do not reseed teams after the first round.
What are the Round 2 matchups in the NBA playoffs?
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 3 New York Knicks
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors
What’s NBA playoff schedule for Round 2?
Here’s what we know about the Round 2 schedule so far (this section will be updated as more details are announced, * = if necessary):
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cavaliers vs. No. 4 Pacers (Indiana wins series 4-1)
Game 1: Pacers 121, Cavaliers 112
Game 2: Pacers 120, Cavaliers 119
Game 3: Cavaliers 126, Pacers 104
Game 4: Pacers 129, Cavaliers 109
Game 5: Pacers 114, Cavaliers 105
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 3 Knicks (New York wins series 4-2)
Game 1: Knicks 108, Celtics 105 (OT)
Game 2: Knicks 91, Celtics 90
Game 3: Celtics 115, Knicks 93
Game 4: Knicks 121, Celtics 113
Game 5: Celtics 127, Knicks 102
Game 6: Knicks 119, Celtics 81
Western Conference
No. 1 Thunder vs. No. 4 Nuggets (OKC wins series 4-3)
Game 1: Nuggets 121, Thunder 119
Game 2: Thunder 149, Nuggets 106
Game 3: Nuggets 113, Thunder 104
Game 4: Thunder 92, Nuggets 87
Game 5: Thunder 112, Nuggets 105
Game 6: Nuggets 119, Thunder 107
Game 7: Thunder 125, Nuggets 93
No. 6 Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Warriors (Minnesota wins series 4-1)
Game 1: Warriors 99, Wolves 88
Game 2: Wolves 117, Warriors 93
Game 3: Wolves 102, Warriors 97
Game 4: Wolves 117, Warriors 110
Game 5: Wolves 121, Warriors 110