Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers (Live on NBA TV)
Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder (Live on TNT/truTV/MAX)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers (10:00 ET on TNT/truTV/MAX)
😯 Thunder rolling early
The Thunder have kept up their form from Game 1 in the early goings tonight and have opened up an eight-point lead over the Grizzlies.
The crowd has gotten into it at Paycom Center thanks to a big three from Chet Holmgren.
Do you hear how loud it already is in @PaycomCenter 📢 pic.twitter.com/U5HnNMKqaF
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 22, 2025
🏁 Pacers lead Bucks by 10 after one
Both teams have come out hot as the Bucks and Pacers combined for 70 points in the first quarter. The Bucks’ offense is much crisper than it was on Saturday, especially from three where they are 3-for-4.
Still, the Pacers have answered seemingly every possession and have led by as many as 15 already.
Tune into NBA TV to see whether the Pacers can keep their foot on the gas or whether the Bucks can dig into this deficit.
HALIBURTON CASHES THE 3 🔥@Pacers (leading 1-0) come out hot in Game 2 on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/DJuhWqdcOG
— NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2025
⏰ Dame Time is back
Damian Lillard, playing in his first game since March 18, drilled his first shot of the night in his return with a vintage stepback three. He’s up to six points over a team-high 10 minutes as the first quarter draws to a close. Catch the action on NBA TV.
Dame drills his first shot. pic.twitter.com/C5UkBPlb6B
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 22, 2025
🆙 No stoppin’ Obi Toppin
Obi Toppin finishes off the perfect lob from Andrew Nembhard for an easy two.
The Pacers have been red-hot in the opening period, shooting 70.6 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from deep. They hold a double-digit lead near the end of the first quarter despite the Bucks also turning in a strong shooting night thus far (47.4 FG%, 3-4 3Pt)
Andrew Nembhard ↗️ Obi Toppin@obitoppin1 soars & throws down the lob from @AndrewNembhard ✈️ pic.twitter.com/LVdI989B9e
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 22, 2025
⚡ Thunder vs Grizzlies Game 2 matchup
The Thunder host the Grizzlies in Game 2 of their first round series tonight at 7:30. Game 1 went decidedly in OKC’s favor with the Thunder rolling to a 131-80 victory.
The Thunder scored at least 32 points in each of the first three quarters, punctuated by a 44-point third quarter that put the game well beyond reach. They didn’t even need their stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Chet Holmgren to shine in order to get the win. Neither played over 25 minutes nor scored more than 20 points. Oklahoma City’s defense was suffocating as well as it held the Grizzlies to just 34.4 percent from the floor and 17.6 percent from deep.
The Grizzlies struggled against the Thunder during the regular season as well and will need to dig deep if they’re to even up the series tonight.
Thunder lineup
Getting us started tonight ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/bzN6FhfkpT
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 22, 2025
Grizzlies lineup
Tonight’s Starting 5:
〽️ @JaMorant
〽️ @DBane0625
〽️ @spippenjr
〽️ @zach_edey
Presented by @OrthoSouth_ pic.twitter.com/caFJv3E0Tv
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) April 22, 2025
☘️ Payton Pritchard wins KIA Sixth Man of the Year
Boston’s Payton Pritchard had an incredible season and now gets to take home some hardware as he ran away with the KIA Sixth Man of the Year voting. He scored 82 1st place votes while Malike Beasley (2nd) finished with 13 such votes.
Pritchard’s three-point shooting off the bench was a crucial factor in Boston having another great season. He averaged 14.3 points per game over 28.4 minutes per game while shooting 40.7 percent from three. He led the NBA in points scored off the bench and his 246 made 3’s off the bench set an NBA record.
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
The complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/h9lOygxZ4j
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 22, 2025
🏁 Pacers vs Bucks Game 2 matchup
The Pacers look to defend their homecourt and take a 2-0 lead in their series against the Bucks. Saturday’s Game 1 was a perfect example of Pacers basketball. They had six players score in double figures and shot 52 percent from the floor while playing great defense on the other end.
The Bucks got a terrific effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 36 points and 12 rebounds, but the team lacked contributions from its role players. That could change tonight with Damian Lillard’s much-anticipated return. While Lillard should provide a perimeter threat that was sorely lacking Saturday, the reality is that it has been over a month since he’s played in a game and it remains to be seen how minutes he can play tonight.
Regardless, this sets up as a high-intensity matchup with a lot on the line between two divisional rivals.
You can catch the action starting at 7:00 ET on NBA TV.
Damian Lillard start in return for Bucks
Lillard returns to action tonight after being sidelined for over a month while being treated for deep vein thrombosis.
Game 2 starters. pic.twitter.com/2eTPKB1fcX
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 22, 2025
Pacers lineup
Game 2’s first five. pic.twitter.com/tD5jcPUkdK
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 22, 2025
🔑 NBA Playoffs storylines tonight
- Dame returns for Bucks vs Pacers, Game 2: The Bucks get a much-needed boost going into Game 2 with Damian Lillard’s return. Milwaukee has been without Lillard since March 18 while the star underwent treatment for deep vein thrombosis. In Game 1, the Bucks struggled to find a scoring punch outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo as they fell 117-98. Lillard’s return should give the Bucks a more balanced scoring attack and open up the perimeter game, but the Pacers have showed to be a tough matchup for Milwaukee regardless.
- Thunder look to take commanding series lead: Oklahoma City routed Memphis in Game 1 and is looking to take a 2-0 lead. Nothing went right for Memphis in the opener; Ja Morant was held to 17 points and no other starter scored in double figures. As a team, the Grizzlies shot 17.6 percent from three-point land. If Memphis can get back to its regular-season form when it shot 36.7 percent from deep, this game should be more competitive. Of course, Memphis’ defense will have to avoid the meltdown quarters as well. And that is always a tall task on the road in OKC.
- Lakers vs Timberwolves in nightcap: The Timberwolves had one of the more surprising wins from this batch of Game 1’s. It’s not so much that they were able to beat Los Angeles, but doing so by 22 in LA is another level. The pressure is on the Lakers, who made the biggest move of the season in trading for Luka Dončić, to bounce back in Game 2 and avoid an 0-2 deficit with the series moving to Minnesota for the next two. Teams that fall behind 0-2 in the first round only come back to win 6.5 percent of the time.
