That feeling when you pull off a comeback for the ages.
Alex Caruso brought the defense, energy and hustle as OKC rallied back from 29 down to take a 3-0 lead.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
April 25, 2025
Historic Rally: OKC overcomes 29-point deficit in Memphis to take 3-0 series lead
NY & LA Up 2-1: KAT & JB lead Knicks past Pistons, Clippers roll at home
Pacers-Bucks: Can a return home spark the Bucks to their first win of the series?
Lakers-Wolves: Tied 1-1, which team will take this pivotal Game 3 in Minnesota?
Celtics-Magic: Boston’s depth will be tested again as the Magic return home
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Yesterday’s scores & what to watch today…
Three pivotal Game 3s tip off tonight, beginning with two teams looking for a home breakthrough as the Magic host the Celtics (7 ET, ESPN) and the Bucks host the Pacers (8 ET, ESPNU/NBA TV). Then, the Lakers and Wolves clash in Minnesota (9:30 ET, ESPN) to break a 1-1 series tie.
Awards Rollout: After Cleveland’s Evan Mobley was named Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday, the NBA Hustle Award will be revealed today (2 ET, NBA App).
Today’s Reads: Tap in for a few of the Starting 5’s top reads from around the NBA world:
A Pioneering Anniversary: Today, the NBA celebrates the historic 1950 NBA Draft and the season when the first Black players entered the league. Seventy-five years ago today, the Boston Celtics drafted Chuck Cooper and the Washington Capitols drafted Earl Lloyd.
The next month, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton signed with the New York Knicks. Check out NBA.com or the NBA App today to learn more about these incredible pioneers.
1. THUNDERSTRUCK: HISTORIC COMEBACK PUTS OKC UP 3-0
Thunder 114, Grizzlies 108: Trailing 69-40 with 3 minutes left in the 1st half, OKC outscored Memphis 74-39 the rest of the way to pull off the 2nd-largest Playoff comeback of the play-by-play era to take a 3-0 series lead. | Recap | Every Bucket in the Comeback
For the first 24 minutes of Thursday’s Game 3 in Memphis, the Thunder bore little resemblance to the team that racked up 68 wins this year.
- The Grizzlies took advantage of every errant pass, every missed shot, every missed assignment and turned them into easy buckets – 11 points off turnovers, 11 fast break points, 28 points in the paint – that had the FedExForum rocking
- After scoring 80 and 99 points in all of Games 1 and 2, the Grizzlies racked up 77 points in the 1st half, led by as many as 29 and held a 26-point advantage at the break
- However, after taking a hard fall late in the 2nd quarter, Ja Morant was ruled out for the rest of the game with a hip injury, forcing Memphis to hold its lead without its star
The final 24 minutes were the polar opposite of the first 24. Now, it was OKC that was forcing turnovers. It was OKC turning those miscues into easy points to chip away at its massive deficit. It was OKC that saw players showing out in the 2nd half after a quiet 1st.
- Chet Holmgren had just 1 point at halftime, but erupted for 16 in the 3rd to ignite the comeback before finishing with 24 points & five 3s
- Jalen Williams (26 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) hit a huge stepback 3 to close the 3rd quarter with the deficit down to 8
- SGA hit a stepback 3 of his own to cut the lead to 3 before sinking 3 free throws to tie the game with 7:58 left. Shai, who finished with a game-high 31 points, on the comeback mindset: “If they could build it, we can erase it”
- Alex Caruso had 3 huge steals and 5 points in the 4th quarter, leading to praise from his teammates. “That dude’s a winner. If you’re going to Life Time, that’s that dude you pick first,” said Chet
Memphis got a combined 50 points from Scotty Pippen Jr. (Playoff career-high 28 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (22 pts, 7 reb), while Morant had 15 before his early exit.
What’s Next: OKC’s historic comeback now forces Memphis to make one of its own, as no team has ever rallied back to win a series after trailing 3-0. Game 4 is set for Saturday (3:30 ET, TNT).
2. KNICKS WIN IN DETROIT, CLIPPERS WIN INTUIT DOME’S PLAYOFF DEBUT
Nathaniel S. Butler & Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images
After a quiet performance in Monday’s Game 2 loss in New York – 0 points in the 2nd half, 0 shots in the 4th quarter – Karl-Anthony Towns came out aggressive in Detroit on Thursday night.
KAT scored 11 of his game-high 31 points in the 1st quarter, setting the tone for a bounce-back game for both himself and the Knicks, who held on to take a 2-1 series lead.
Knicks 118, Pistons 116: Towns (31 pts, 8 reb, 4 3pm), Jalen Brunson (30 pts, 9 ast), OG Anunoby (22 pts, 2 stl) and Mikal Bridges (20 pts, 3 stl) combined to score 103 of New York’s 118 points as the starters carried the Knicks to the road win. | Recap | 5 Takeaways
- 53 Years Ago: The last time the Knicks had four 20+ point scorers in a Playoff game was Game 6 of the 1972 East Semis with Hall of Famers Walt Frazier, Jerry Lucas, Dave DeBusschere & Bill Bradley
- The Closer: A night after being named the Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year, Brunson scored 10 of his 30 in the final 4:10 to ice the game. He joined Bernard King as the only Knicks to open a Playoff run with three straight 30-pieces
- Detroit Debuts: Playing their first home Playoff games in Detroit, Cade Cunningham (24 pts, 7 reb, 11 ast, 4 stl, 2 blk) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (24 pts, 7 3pm) combined for 48 in the loss
- What’s Next: New York leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Sunday (1 ET, ABC)
With 3:15 left in the 1st quarter, the Nuggets led 26-19 as Nikola Jokić played orchestrator with seven assists in the game’s first nine minutes.
Then, everything changed.
The Clippers – playing their first-ever Playoff game at the Intuit Dome – went on a 23-2 run over the next five minutes spanning the 1st and 2nd quarters to turn a seven-point deficit into a 14-point lead.
They never looked back.
Clippers 117, Nuggets 83: The quartet of Kawhi Leonard (21 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast), James Harden (20 pts, 9 ast), Norman Powell (20 pts, 3 3pm) and Ivica Zubac (19 pts, 9 reb) combined for 80 points to power the Clippers to a resounding win and 2-1 series lead. | Recap | 5 Takeaways
- Everyone Gets A Quarter: Harden (13) led the Clippers in scoring in the 1st quarter, Zubac (8) led the 2nd, Powell (12) led the 3rd and Kawhi (7) topped the 4th
- Clippers Defense: LA’s defense has gotten stingier by the game, allowing 112 points in a Game 1 loss and 102 in a Game 2 win, before holding Denver to a season-low 83 points in Game 3
- Harden On The Dome’s Playoff Debut: “It was just how we expected it to be… they got behind us and we just rode that wave“
- Denver Trio Not Enough: Jokić (23 pts, 13 reb, 13 ast) posted his 20th career Playoff triple-double, while Jamal Murray (23) and Aaron Gordon (15) were the only other Nuggets to score 10+ points
- What’s Next: LA leads the series 2-1 and hosts Game 4 on Saturday (6 ET, TNT)
3. BUCKS BACK HOME LOOKING FOR 1ST WIN OF SERIES
Indiana understood its assignment and passed both early tests.
The group successfully defended home court twice over, winning Games 1 and 2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to put the pressure firmly on Milwaukee’s shoulders.
Tonight (8 ET, NBA TV), the Pacers and Bucks will face off again for Game 3 of their First Round matchup. Although their latest contest again went the way of the host, intensity was high down the stretch.
- “They threw a hellacious punch to get it to 2, Pascal hit as big a shot as you’re ever going to see in the Playoffs on the right wing and we were able to survive,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle
The duo of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam has combined for 80 points thus far – 33.3% of their team’s production – but Game 2 was a balanced effort, with six players tallying 14 or more.
- Captivating Chemistry: In 72 games together during the regular season, the Haliburton-Siakam pairing posted the 25th-best offensive rating (117.0) and 5th-best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.60) among duos playing 1500+ minutes
- The New Nash: Haliburton totaled 12+ assists in each of the series’ first two games, becoming the first player since Steve Nash (2005) to do so. Indiana is now 16-3 this season when Haliburton dishes at least a dozen dimes
A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been herculean for Milwaukee. He’s scored at least 34 points in his first two postseason outings for the first time in his 12-year career while averaging 15 rpg.
And now, he has Damian Lillard back in the fold as a crucial complement. The veteran guard pitched in 14 points and 7 assists in Game 2 to announce his return from a 15-game absence.
- Not Long Ago: We’re just over a year removed from Lillard’s 35-piece in the 1st half of last season’s Game 1 against the Pacers
- Raising His Game: The 13-year guard owns 25.9 ppg across 10 different Playoff runs, exceeding both his mark from this regular season (24.9) and his entire career (25.1), while ranking 15th all-time (min. 50 games played)
- But a turnaround will require more than just those two wielding their powers. Bucks coach Doc Rivers believes his squad is ready
- “I look at it as a long series (and) we haven’t played a home game. We have to go home and take care of business… I’m very confident about this series. Very.”
4. WOLVES, LAKERS SET FOR CRITICAL GAME 3 IN MINNESOTA
By no means did the Lakers’ win on Tuesday come via a tried-and-true formula.
L.A. secured its first win of the postseason when scoring less than 100 points, tying the series at one game apiece. The Lakers were previously 0-9 in such situations this season.
Game 3 tips tonight (9:30 ET, ESPN) between the Lakers and Wolves as their First Round battle moves to Minnesota. Anthony Edwards and Co. were limited to a season-low 85 points in Game 2.
- “It’s fair to say we won the game with our defense tonight,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick on Tuesday. “But our offense had a lot to do with that, not allowing them to get out in transition.”
Luka Dončić racked up a game-high 31 points in Game 2 while finishing one assist shy of a triple-double. After 37 in the preceding Wolves win, he’s already set the pace for another prolific postseason in a line of many.
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
- Playoff Points: In each of his first three Playoff runs, Dončić averaged 30+ ppg, including a league-best 35.7 and 31.7 in 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively. Luka’s career Playoff scoring average (31.0 ppg) ranks 2nd only to Michael Jordan
- Scorer’s Gonna Score: During the Mavericks’ run to the Finals last postseason, the five-time NBA All-Star tallied 30 or more on 10 separate occasions
- There’s something special about Minnesota, where Luka tends to put on a show. He delivered 32.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg and 8.2 apg in the 2024 West Finals, and took it to another level with 33.6 points and 8.6 assists across three wins at Target Center
Defensively, the Lakers were stout across the hardwood Tuesday. The Timberwolves got only 33 points outside of Edwards and Julius Randle, with no other scorers pitching in 10+.
Re-establishing the 3 will be crucial. Minnesota made five from deep in Game 2 after setting a Playoff franchise record with 21 to open the series.
- Night And Day: Coach Chris Finch’s crew will also try to put previous postseason struggles at home behind them. They went 3-5 at Target Center and 6-2 on the road in last year’s Playoff run
- “All we’ve done is earn the right to be great at home. That’s what we’ve got to do – we’ve got to come out with a big start (tonight),” Finch said
5. CELTICS DEPTH VS. HOME MAGIC IN ORLANDO FOR GAME 3
On April 9, the Magic clinched 7th place in the East with a 96-76 home win over the Celtics, who sat their normal starting 5 with the 2 seed already secured.
Tonight (7 ET, ESPN), the Magic are back home, looking for their first win of the 2025 Playoffs against the Celtics, who will have most of their starting 5, but may be without a key player as Jayson Tatum listed is doubtful for the second straight game (wrist).
- Finding A Way: With their Game 2 win, the Celtics improved to 9-2 this season without Tatum – Boston’s leader in points (26.8), rebounds (8.7) and assists (6.0)
- Depth Shines: Over the regular season, nine players led Boston in scoring for a game, including four – Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porziņģis & Payton Pritchard – that did so for 7+ games. In Game 1, it was Derrick White’s 30. In Game 2, it was Brown’s 36
- Who Will It Be In Game 3? Outside of Tatum, Brown and White, Boston’s top road performers this season were: Porziņģis (19.3 ppg, 41.9% 3P), Pritchard (14.1 ppg, 3.1 3pm) and Holiday (11.5 ppg)
- Road Warriors: Boston led the NBA with a 33-8 road record – including 12-3 in clutch games. The Celtics ranked 2nd in OffRtg (118), DefRtg (108.5) and opponent eFG% (52.4%) on the road
Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
For the Magic, can a return home get their role players going?
- Star Duo: Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have combined for 58 ppg through the first two games of the series – up 3.9 ppg from their combined regular-season marks
- Can Role Players Rise? The rest of the Magic outside of Paolo and Franz have combined for just 35 ppg on 40.3% FG, 30% 3P shooting splits so far. During the regular season, those same 10 players averaged 57.4 ppg on 44.0% FG and 32.4% 3P at home
- Playoff Paolo: Through nine career Playoff games, Banchero is averaging 28.6 ppg and 8.9. He’s the 6th player in NBA history with 250+ pts and 80+ reb through nine career Playoff games, joining Wilt, Oscar, Kareem, Bob McAdoo & Luka
