Still, half a day later … HOWWW, Steph?? 🤯
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
April 21, 2025
Dubs Dynamic Duo: Curry, Butler take over as Golden State goes up 1-0
Spida Season: Donovan Mitchell erupts, Ty Jerome makes history off bench
Celtics, Thunder Up 1-0: Defending champs & regular season champs start hot
Running It Back: After Knicks’ 21-0 run in Game 1, how do Pistons respond?
LAC/DEN Game 2: Can Clippers cut down on turnovers? Who wins the big man battle?
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Two Game 2s to start your week.
Catch Up Quick: From the bracket, to schedules, to the latest news from every single series, tap here for the NBA Playoffs presented by Google hub.
1. BATMAN & ROBIN RETURN: DYNAMIC DUO DRIVES DUBS TO GAME 1 ‘W’
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All Jimmy Butler III could do was shake his head.
After Steph Curry hit yet another mind-bending three – already drilling a few before that – the camera cut to Butler, with a look of disbelief.
Said Butler postgame: “Batman comes out of nowhere.”
Warriors 95, Rockets 85: In the first Playoff game of their new partnership, two of the greatest postseason performers of this (or any) era combined for 56 points – 31 from Curry, 25 from Butler – and a succession of clutch moments to send the 7th-seeded Warriors to a Game 1 win on the road. | Recap | Steph’s Best | Jimmy’s Best
- How Rare Was This? After the Warriors’ win, 7-seeds improve to just 12-72 against 2-seeds in Game 1
- Ruthlessly Efficient: Curry shot 63% from the floor and 5-for-9 from 3, while Butler shot 53%, with 7 reb, 6 ast and 5 stl
- History For Jimmy: Butler becomes the fourth Warrior since 1973-74 to put up 25+ pts, 5+ reb, 5+ ast and 5+ stl in a Playoff game
- Mr. 100: Golden State coach Steve Kerr notched his 100th career Playoff win, tying Larry Brown for sixth all-time
- Warrior Walkoff: Get in the tunnel with the (hyped up) Dubs after the win
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
Dynamic Duo: During the 3rd quarter, TNT’s Allie LaForce said that Curry had told her earlier this week that he’s been “thinking nonstop” about ‘Playoff Jimmy’ – the near-superhero version of Butler in the second season.
- Said Curry to LaForce: “I don’t know what it will look like, but I know it will come.”
- First Looks: Steph, Jimmy and their ability to set a tone showed up early, with the pair combining for 29 pts on 63% shooting – and a stifling Warriors defense that held the Rockets to 34 first-half pts
- Tough Going: The Rockets’ 34 in the first 24 was their lowest first-half total of the year, and lowest in the Playoffs since 2016
Big Lead, Cut Down: The Warriors led by as many as 23, but the Rockets – led by Alperen Segun’s 26, including this monster dunk – cut the lead down to 79-75 with 5:34 left in the 4th.
- Another Answer: Curry hit a three on the very next possession to put Golden State up 7
- Down to 4 Again: Fred VanVleet’s 3 with 2:38 left made it 84-80
- Winning Time: An 11-2 Warriors run then sealed it, with Butler chipping in six of those points
2. SPIDA SEASON: MITCHELL GOES OFF, JEROME CLOSES IT AS CAVS TAKE 1-0 LEAD
Donovan Mitchell had taken a new approach in 2024-25.
To develop the young talent around him, he’d taken fewer shots. He’d played fewer minutes.
The Cavs’ superstar had set out to do more by doing less himself. His leadership propelled Cleveland to one of its best regular seasons ever.
“Everybody says they’re willing to sacrifice until it’s them,” Mitchell told Yahoo Sports earlier this month. “Are you really, truly ready?”
But when it came time to set the pace in Sunday’s Playoff opener, Mitchell stepped into a role he’s known well – backed by two of the young Cavs who’ve made the biggest leaps this year.
Cavs 121, Heat 100: Mitchell dropped a game-high 30 pts, pacing a Cavs attack that also got 27 pts from Darius Garland and 28 from Kia Sixth Man of the Year Finalist Ty Jerome, as top-seeded Cleveland took a 1-0 series lead over Miami. | Recap | Mitchell & Garland’s Best
- Like Mike: Mitchell’s 7th straight Game 1 of 30+ pts ties Michael Jordan for the longest Playoff streak ever
- All-Timer: Spida ranks 7th all-time in Playoff PPG (min. 50 GP), and fourth among active players – behind Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Kevin Durant
- Cleveland History: Mitchell, Garland and Jerome became the first Cavs trio with 27+ in a Playoff game – and just the sixth trio over the past 30 years
- Spida Mic’d Up: Hear Mitchell hyping up his teammates and the crowd in Game 1
- Miami Leaders: Bam Adebayo dropped 24 pts with 9 reb, while Tyler Herro had 21 pts
Send It In, Jerome: On the same day he was named a finalist for the Kia Sixth Man of the Year Award, Ty Jerome registered one of the greatest postseason debuts for a bench player – or Cavalier – ever.
- These Names 🤯: Jerome’s 28 pts gave him the third-most from a Cavaliers player in their debut, behind only LeBron James (32 in 2006) and Kyrie Irving (30 in 2015)
- Instant Energy: He also tallied the 4th most pts from a bench player in their postseason debut, behind Malik Monk (32 in 2023), Ben Gordon (30 in 2005) and Billy Ray Bates (29 in 1980)
- Sixth Man, Fourth Quarter: Jerome did most of his damage in the final frame, getting 16 in the 4th – on 6-for-7 shooting, 3-for-3 from deep
- “This is who he’s been,” said Mitchell on the debut from his former childhood teammate. “It is full circle from when we were eight years old, to my first basketball teammate … this is who he is.”
Miami’s Silver Lining? The Heat head into Wednesday’s Game 2 (7:30 ET, NBA TV) with reason for optimism: Erik Spoelstra is 10-3 in Game 2s after losing Game 1, the 2nd-best win percentage ever (min. 10 GP)
3. CELTICS RIDE HOT HAND, THUNDER MAKE HISTORY IN GAME 1 WINS
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Last season, Boston entered the Playoffs leading the league in 3PM and ranked 2nd in defensive rating en route to the franchise’s 18th championship.
On Sunday, the Celtics – who finished 1st and 4th in those categories this year – started the first Playoff game of their title defense with a similar formula.
Celtics 103, Magic 86: Derrick White dropped a team-high 30 points on seven 3-pointers, as the Celtics made 16 treys and shot better from deep (43%) than Orlando did from the field (42%) to claim a 103-86 win and 1-0 series lead. | Recap
- Back And Forth: Boston took an eight-point lead after the 1st quarter and led by as many as 12 in the 2nd, before Orlando closed on a 21-9 run to take a 49-48 halftime lead
- Flipped The Switch: Orlando’s lead lasted all of 30 seconds before Jaylen Brown scored two of his 10 3rd quarter points to give the Celtics a 50-49 lead, and they didn’t look back, as part of a 30-18 quarter and 55-37 2nd half
- Green Means Go: The Celtics were 5-0 this season when holding their opponent to 86 or fewer points and 12-2 when shooting 43% or better from 3-point land
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Jayson Tatum (17 pts, 14 reb) and Brown (16 pts) added 33 to White’s 30, as the NBA’s top 3-point shooting team started hot.
- Shamrock Splash: White recorded his third playoff game with at least seven 3s, trailing only Ray Allen (5) for most in franchise history
- Deep Insurance: Payton Pritchard added 19 points and four 3pm off the bench as the Kia Sixth Man of the Year finalist continued his elite shooting from the regular season
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner combined for 59 of Orlando’s 86 points, as Banchero (36 pts) recorded his third career 35+ point Playoff game, while Wagner added five assists to his 23.
Tatum Returns: Tatum finished the game after taking a scary fall late that had him holding his wrist. Postgame X-Rays were clean.
- He stayed in the game after the fall, which came after a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope flagrant foul
- Said Tatum: “I just landed on it. It was throbbing for a second. It kind of went away.”
- Making History: The Thunder’s win marked the largest margin of victory in a Game 1 and the fifth-largest overall in NBA Playoffs history.
- Early Frenzy: The OKC crowd couldn’t have been much louder as a series of resounding breakaway dunks put their Thunder up by 29 in the second quarter.
- The gap would only grow. OKC led by as many as 56 on their way to the win
- Aaron Wiggins led the Thunder with 21 points – a Playoff career-high — to lead the team’s typical balanced attack
Jalen Williams went +44 on the night, dropping 20 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Six Thunder players, including all five starters, scored in double-figures in Sunday’s effort. Chet Holmgren had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while SGA added 15 points in 23 minutes.
- “We played to our identity,” Kia MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Nothing more, nothing less than that.”
Marvin Bagley III and Ja Morant each had 17 for Memphis who will look to win their first matchup vs OKC this season and even the series Tuesday (7:30 ET, TNT)
4. AFTER ‘THE RUN,’ KNICKS & PISTONS RUN IT BACK
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What else would you expect from New York and Detroit?
The basketball was tense and physical to begin Game 1, as the Playoffs returned to the City That Never Sleeps.
And after the Pistons – who are having one of the great turnaround seasons in NBA history – pulled ahead, the Knicks sent MSG into a frenzy with a 21-0 fourth-quarter run to claim Game 1.
What’s coming tonight (7:30 ET, TNT), the Knicks look to head to Detroit up 2-0 and the Pistons look to steal home court advantage – and notch their first Playoff win since 2008.
Playmakers & X-Factors: In a matchup of two elite point guards, Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 34 pts – 12 of them in the 4th quarter – while Cade Cunningham had 21 pts, with 12 ast & 6 reb.
- But Cam Payne picked the perfect time to go off, scoring 11 of 14 points in the 4th quarter to spark the rally
- A Blur: Payne’s 14 points in 15 minutes were the most in that span by a Knick reserve in a playoff game in the shot-clock era, passing Phil Jackson’s 13 in 15 minutes in 1972
- Detroit’s X-Factor: When Ausar Thompson was assigned to the All-Star guard, Brunson was limited to only 6 shot attempts scoring 7 points
- Pistons Corrections: After losing the turnover battle 19-9 in Game 1 – leading to 11 NY 4th-quarter points – can the Pistons rally to tie a team they’d beaten three times in the regular season?
Saturday was the second time since 1997-98 that the Knicks reeled off a 21-0 run in the Playoffs, and the first time in the 4th quarter.
- Captain Clutch: Brunson’s 118 fourth-quarter points this season ranked fourth in the NBA
- Are You Experienced? Payne had scored in double-figures just six times since February opened, but drew on his 58 prior postseason games – including a key bench role for the 2020-21 Western Conference champ Suns
5. SPOTLIGHT SHINES ON CENTER MATCHUP, TURNOVERS IN CLIPS & NUGGETS GAME 2
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As Game 1 came down to the last gasp of overtime, with generational stars all over the floor, two of them – both former teammates – took center stage.
Russell Westbrook and James Harden had traded buckets to send it to OT.
Then, with Denver up 3 in the final 10 seconds of OT, Russ jumped an inbounds pass, knocking it off Harden to help secure the W in a Saturday thriller.
- Said Kia MVP finalist Nikola Jokić: “On the little plays, on the hustle plays, he was amazing tonight.”
Russ’s clutch deflection brought LA’s turnover total to 20. And when the teams meet again tonight (10 ET, TNT), that’ll be a key area of focus for an LA team looking to head home tied 1-1.
- What’s At Stake? Teams who take a 2-0 series lead at home have won the series 92.3% of the time. Game 3 winners in a 1-1 series have won the series 74.2% of the time
- Kawhi Leonard on LA’s mood: “Still good. Just Game 1. You know, Denver’s a good team, especially at home. Still got Game 2.”
- LA coach Tyronn Lue: “We’re in good shape – we just have to do what we’re supposed to do.”
Matchup To Watch: In a series that features star after star, the big man battle pits together two of the game’s premier centers: Jokić and LA’s Ivica Zubac, both named finalists for major awards Sunday.
- Jokić Starts Strong: After becoming the first player to finish Top 3 in PPG, RPG & APG and third to average a triple-double (joining Russ and Oscar Robertson), Jokić posted 29 pts, 9 reb and 12 ast in the win
- Zubac Wins Board Battle: Zubac, who led the league in total rebounds en route to a Kia Most Improved Player nomination, went for 21 pts & 13 reb in the opener
- Zubac averaged 16.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in his breakout ninth NBA season – just over five points and just less then three rebounds higher than his previous career-highs
