2025 NBA playoffs: Western Conference first-round takeaways

The 2024-25 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game in the march to the Finals.

The No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets and No. 5 seed LA Clippers played another close thriller Monday, this time with the Clips grinding out a Game 2 win thanks to Kawhi Leonard's stellar performance. The series now heads to Intuit Dome in Inglewood for the first playoff games at the NBA's newest arena.

On Tuesday, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder had another dominant win over the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies as they prepare to switch home court for Game 3. The No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers evened things up against the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves behind Luka Doncic's 31 points.

As the West playoffs continue, here's what matters most and what to watch for in all four series.

Jump to a series:
Thunder-Grizzlies | Rockets-Warriors
Lakers-Timberwolves | Nuggets-Clippers

More coverage:
East first-round takeaways
Schedules and results | Offseason guides

Tuesday's games

(6) Minnesota Timberwolves tied with
(3) Los Angeles Lakers, 1-1

Game 2: Lakers 94, Timberwolves 85

What we learned:

If there was one sequence that perfectly illustrated the extra edge the Lakers brought to Game 2 after being pushed around in Game 1, it was Rui Hachimura yanking off his face mask, tossing it to the side and running down the court to keep competing. Hachimura didn't let a hit to the face and a bloodied nose keep him out early on Tuesday, and the Lakers didn't let Minnesota's series-opening surge keep them from looking like the contender they've been rounding into since acquiring Doncic.

L.A. flipped from feeble to forceful on a laundry list of Saturday's issues. After being routed 25-6 in fast-break points, they led 13-6 on Tuesday, and after Minnesota shot 21-for-42 on 3-pointers, the Lakers' perimeter defense held the Wolves to 5-for-25 from deep. And while Doncic scored big in both games (37 points, followed by 31), he racked up nine assists in Game 2 after just a single dime in the opener, completely commanding the Lakers' offense. Now, we have a series.

Game 3: Lakers at Timberwolves (Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

What to watch:

Can LeBron James and Austin Reaves find an offensive groove this series? After combining for 35 points on 13-for-31 shooting in Game 1, they put up a combined 37 points on 15-for-33 shooting in Game 2. It's a bit of a dip from the 44.6 combined points they averaged in the regular season, and those could prove to be precious points L.A. will need as the series shifts to Minneapolis.

Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95

What we learned:

The Lakers organization geared up for Game 1 by distributing a hype video with their postseason motto "Unleash Joy." The video, in the Lakers' words, was meant to tip off their "2025 Playoff Run." The anticipation for a deep playoff push was understandable, considering how well L.A. played after trading for Luka Doncic and securing the No. 3 seed in the West.

And the way Saturday started, with Doncic personally outscoring Minnesota with 14 points as L.A. went up 20-12 early in the first, that story was seemingly going to plan. But nobody in L.A.'s marketing department considered that the Wolves, who lost to Doncic in the conference finals a year ago, would become the main characters.

"We know not many people are picking us," Minnesota coach Chris Finch said pregame. "I think our guys have leaned into that a little bit."

After Doncic's initial flourish, the Wolves took control in the second and third quarters, leading by as many as 27 points as they owned the boards (44-38) and spread out the Lakers' defense by making the extra pass to open shooters (hitting a franchise postseason record 21-of-42 from 3). The run-up to this series focused on Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves on one side and Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle on the other. However, Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid combined for 48 points on 19-for-25 shooting to completely outperform L.A.'s role players and put the Wolves in the driver's seat.

-- Dave McMenamin

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder lead
(8) Memphis Grizzlies, 2-0

Game 2: Thunder 118, Grizzlies 99

What we learned:

The Grizzlies made good on their vow to play much better than they did in a humiliating Game 1 loss. It just wasn't nearly good enough to compete on the road against an Oklahoma City team that had the NBA's best record. The Grizzlies trimmed the deficit to single digits on multiple occasions in the third quarter, when Jaren Jackson Jr. got hot. But the outcome was never in doubt, as the Thunder led wire to wire to take a 2-0 series lead that seems insurmountable. Oklahoma City has won all six meetings with Memphis this season by double-digit margins.

Game 3: Thunder at Grizzlies (Thursday, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)

What to watch:

What if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander snaps out of his mini-slump? The Thunder cruised to a couple of wins to open the series despite a pair of uncharacteristically poor shooting performances from the likely MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game, is shooting 32.6% from the floor in the series.

Game 1: Thunder 131, Grizzlies 80

What we learned:

This wasn't a fair fight. The Grizzlies have their hands full against the Thunder -- a team fresh off setting the record for best point differential in a regular season -- regardless of circumstances. But on a 36-hour turnaround from the play-in finale with travel in between? Good luck, Grizzlies. Oklahoma City's smothering defense overwhelmed Memphis, fueling a 17-0 advantage in fast-break points in the first half.

This game was over midway through the second quarter despite MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting off to a slow start (2-of-10 shooting in first half) and finishing with his fewest points (15) in a game this season. Granted, he was subbed out for the rest of the game with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.

-- Tim MacMahon

West first-round series

(4) Denver Nuggets tied with
(5) LA Clippers, 1-1

Game 2: Clippers 105, Nuggets 102

What we learned:

Kawhi Leonard is still capable of postseason brilliance. After the veteran's underwhelming, seven-turnover performance in Game 1, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said the team needed to get Leonard back into "attack mode" again. Consider that done after Leonard's exceptionally efficient 39 points on 15-for-19 shooting in Game 2. That was his highest scoring output since a 41-point showing against Utah on Dec. 8, 2023.

Leonard started Monday's game by hitting his first six shots, missed a 3-pointer, then hit six more in a row. It wasn't until the fourth quarter that he missed consecutive shots, but the two-time NBA champ was as close to automatic as a scorer can be in what has already turned into a contentious series. Leonard sealed the Clippers' win by clawing away a crosscourt pass by Nikola Jokic in the final minute. It was Jokic's seventh turnover of the game, a testament to how tightly the Clippers have defended him.

Game 3: Nuggets at Clippers (Thursday, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)

What to watch:

Denver got strong contributions from Jokic (26 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists), Jamal Murray (23 points), Michael Porter Jr. (15 points) and Aaron Gordon (14). But outside of Russell Westbrook's 14 points, no other Denver player made an impact offensively. That's going to have to change if the Nuggets are going to win a game at Intuit Dome.

One bright side for the Nuggets? They obliterated the Clippers on the offensive glass. That undermined the Clippers' outstanding half-court defense and gave Denver extra opportunities to score (18 second-chance points Monday). So even though the Clippers didn't give up 29 points off turnovers as they did in the first game, this one came down to the wire again.

Game 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110 (OT)

What we learned:

Denver can take a punch -- literally. Nikola Jokic got hit in the face by an errant Derrick Jones Jr. forearm, picked up a technical foul for arguing the non-call and somehow rallied the Nuggets back from a 15-point deficit to win this game in overtime. Russell Westbrook was incredible on the glass with clutch offensive rebounds, putbacks and even a key 3-pointer down the stretch. It was his first career go-ahead 3 inside the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime in his playoff career. Jamal Murray shook off a poor first half to finish with two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Aaron Gordon had six of the Nuggets' 14 points in overtime to seal the win.

The Clippers will wonder what would have happened if James Harden wasn't in foul trouble for most of the game. He was brilliant for the team, but the Nuggets survived with grit and might just have rediscovered their championship swagger after a tumultuous final week of the regular season.

-- Ramona Shelburne

(7) Golden State Warriors lead
(2) Houston Rockets, 1-0

Game 1: Warriors 95, Rockets 85

What we learned:

The Warriors can play defense too. The Rockets didn't even score 50 points until the 4:36 mark of the third quarter, and their 85 points were the fewest this season. The Rockets had a furious start, highlighted by Alperen Sengun's monster dunk on Draymond Green, but the Warriors kept hanging around. Stephen Curry began scoring inside on drives against aggressive defenders while still finding time to hit ridiculous 3-point shots. Jimmy Butler III also began to pick his spots and finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

On defense, the Warriors appeared content with letting Sengun score, although the All-Star forward had only four of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. The Rockets found scoring difficult, shooting 6-for-29 from 3 and missing several attempts at the rim. They trailed by 23 in the third quarter but got back into the game by dominating the glass with 22 second-chance points and 22 offensive boards (nearly eight more than their regular-season average).

Houston got to within three midway through the fourth as Amen Thompson made some big baskets, but Butler hit two big shots in the end and the Warriors showed exactly why no one wanted to face them and their championship experience in the first round. -- Ohm Youngmisuk

Game 2: Warriors at Rockets (Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)

What to watch:

Golden State seemed to swipe Houston's identity in the first half, outscoring the Rockets in transition 14-2. Losing in that area gives the younger, more athletic Rockets virtually no shot this series, especially considering their season-long struggles generating half-court offense. An aggressive, physical start helped Houston seize a 13-point first half lead that vaporized when the veteran Warriors settled in.

Look for Houston to continue asserting physicality to wear down Golden State, while relying even more on Sengun in the half court. Sengun blistered Green as Houston's most reliable scorer, but he can't do all the work alone on offense.

-- Michael C. Wright