NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
A successful revival is in the books.
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks depart TD Garden, heading to Madison Square Garden with a 2-0 advantage.
5 HEADLINES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
May 8, 2025
They’ve Done It Again: New York secures a second consecutive victory in Boston to kick off the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Historic Opening: The 2025 Playoffs are already etching their name in the annals of NBA history.
Knicks Lead 2-0: Despite being swept by Boston in the regular season, the Knicks have claimed their first two games on the road.
A Loud Statement: After losing the opener, the Thunder rebound spectacularly with a significant win.
Warriors vs. Wolves: How will both sides cope with pressure in tonight’s Game 2?
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Recapping yesterday’s scores & a look at what’s on the agenda today…
Tonight on TNT (8:30 ET), the Warriors and Wolves take center stage as the sole game on the playoff docket. Will the Warriors secure a 2-0 lead heading back to the Bay Area, or can the Wolves return fire to level the series?
1. NEW YORK COMES BACK ONCE MORE TO ESTABLISH 2-0 ADVANTAGE
Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
Wednesday’s Game 2 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals featuring the Knicks and Celtics mirrored the preceding Game 1 from Monday in a strikingly similar fashion.
Groundbreaking Achievement: For the first time in NBA history, a team has managed to rally from a 20-point deficit in back-to-back playoff games. | Watch the Comeback
“I’m just thrilled we found a way to win; that’s some insane stuff,” remarked Jalen Brunson, who netted New York’s last six points—including a key jumper with 1:59 remaining, giving the Knicks their initial lead and a pair of crucial free throws that sealed their triumph with just 12.7 seconds left on the clock.
Previously, the Knicks were winless (0-9) this season when trailing by 20 or more points. Now, they stand at 2-0 in their last two outings—both crucial playoff encounters away from home.
“We always maintain belief in one another… It comes down to mental resilience, defensive effort, and teamwork,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau following Wednesday’s win.
2. THE 2025 PLAYOFFS MAKE A HISTORIC ENTRY
David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images
In the opening 19 days of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, we’ve witnessed remarkable events unfold, and we’re still not even halfway through the second round.
Before tonight’s Game 2 between the Wolves and Warriors, let’s recap the impactful moments we’ve observed thus far, punctuated with some of our favorite highlights and GIFs.
The Comebacks
April 24: Thunder-Grizzlies (Round 1, Game 3): The Thunder found themselves down by 29 points with just over three minutes remaining in the first half but managed to outscore the Grizzlies 74-39 to achieve the second-largest comeback in the play-by-play era.
April 29: Pacers-Bucks (Round 1, Game 5): Indiana fell behind by 20 points early in the second quarter but countered with a 39-18 run over 14 minutes to gain the lead, culminating in a thrilling overtime finish.
Monday: Knicks-Celtics (Round 2, Game 1): Making their series debut like they did in three of their four regular-season defeats against Boston—trailing 20 points—the Knicks executed a 42-16 streak to turn the tides and clinched an overtime victory propelled by a Mikal Bridges steal.
Tuesday, Pacers-Cavs (Round 2, Game 2): The Pacers not only faced a 20-point deficit but were down seven with under a minute left before finishing the game on an 8-0 run, topped off by Tyrese Haliburton’s clutch game-winner.
Wednesday, Knicks-Celtics (Round 2, Game 2): The Knicks managed to wipe out a second consecutive 20-point lead from Boston, with Mikal Bridges contributing 14 points in the fourth quarter and delivering yet another game-ending steal.
The Game-Winners
Nuggets-Clippers (Round 1, Game 4): Aaron Gordon snagged a missed shot from Nikola Jokić and scored the first buzzer-beater game-winning dunk of the play-by-play era, evening the series, which the Nuggets would eventually win in seven games.
Pacers-Bucks (Round 1, Game 5): Tyrese Haliburton’s layup with just 1.3 seconds on the clock capped an 8-0 run in the last 40 seconds of overtime, stunning the Bucks and claiming the series 4-1.
Knicks-Pistons (Round 1, Game 6): Two days after Haliburton sealed his series victory, Jalen Brunson did the same for New York against Detroit with a pull-up three-pointer with 4.3 seconds remaining, marking the seventh game-winning shot in the final moments in the last 15 playoffs.
Nuggets-Thunder (Round 2, Game 1): Gordon shines again! After an errant free throw from OKC with 9.5 seconds to go, Christian Braun corralled the rebound and quickly set up Russell Westbrook, who found Gordon on a cross-court pass for a three that dropped in with just 2.8 seconds left.
Pacers-Cavs (Round 2, Game 2): Haliburton strikes again! Trailing by three with 12.4 seconds remaining, he made the first of two free throws, missed the second, retrieved his own rebound, stepped back beyond the arc, and connected for a three-pointer with just 1.1 seconds on the clock.
3. KNICKS ESTABLISH STRONG 2-0 LEAD AND RETURN HOME
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The Knicks have triumphed over the Celtics more in the last three days (twice) than they did in the prior two years (once).
Knicks 91, Celtics 90: After facing a 20-point deficit with 3:12 left in the third quarter, the Knicks surged back with a 38-17 scoring run over the final quarter, including a decisive 23-6 stretch that allowed them to take their first lead of the game with under two minutes to play. | Recap
Double 20s: Derrick White and Jaylen Brown each registered 20 points to lead the Celtics, along with Jayson Tatum contributing a stat line of 13 points (5-of-19 shooting), 14 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Double 25s: The Celtics’ shooting from beyond the arc was a struggle, hitting just 10-of-40 (25%) in Game 2, following a 15-of-60 (25%) performance in the first match, resulting in a 1-6 record this season when making 25% or less from three-point territory.
Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images
How would the Thunder respond to their first postseason defeat and only their seventh loss at home this season?
They came out firing with a nearly flawless start to Game 2.
The Thunder amassed 45 points during the first quarter on 15-of-21 shooting, and concluded the half with a remarkable 87 points—the highest in NBA playoff history—boasting shooting numbers of 58.8% from the field, 43.5% from three, and 94.4% from the free-throw line, leading by as many as 31 points.
In a playoff series characterized by monumental comebacks, the Thunder maintained control, winning the third quarter 37-20. Their advantage swelled to 49 points at one stage, and they closed out the game triumphantly by 43 points—still 8 points shy of their largest victory margin in this postseason.
Thunder 149, Nuggets 106: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34 pts, 11-13 FG, 8 ast) and Jalen Williams (17 pts, 7 ast) spearheaded a balanced scoring effort with eight players in double figures as the Thunder evened the series at 1-1. | Recap
Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
Both the Warriors and Wolves approach tonight’s Game 2 with a particular challenge ahead of them.
David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
Despite losing Curry in the second quarter, the Warriors managed to secure Game 1 with Buddy Hield pouring in 24 points and five three-pointers, alongside a near-triple-double (20 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast) from Jimmy Butler III.
In the wake of discussions surrounding the roles of Batmans, Robins, and Alfreds post-Game 1, the Warriors may be required to morph into a complete Justice League to compensate for Steph’s absence—relying on multiple players to rise to the occasion in light of his impact.
Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
Regarding Minnesota’s shooting woes, it extends beyond merely needing to make more threes; it starts with improving the quality of the shots being created.
How will Anthony Edwards and the Wolves respond tonight? This season, Edwards has averaged 28.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 4.3 three-pointers at a 40.2% shooting rate following a loss, with the Wolves holding a 19-13 record in such scenarios.
