The Boston Celtics are one step closer to earning their 19th NBA championship, having defeated the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA playoffs 4 games to 1. Tuesday night’s 120-89 win in Game 5 was a display of confidence from the Celtics, who will play either the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons in the second round. The No. 1 seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Western conference champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, have both already clinched spots in the semifinals; each team swept their respective series in four.
The Thunder’s top scorer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the league with 32.7 points a game, is a likely MVP candidate, though he faces stiff competition from Nikola Jokić, who could easily earn his fourth MVP in the last five years. The Denver Nuggets center became just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for the season, finishing third in scoring (29.6 points per game) and rebounds (12.7 per game) and second in assists (10.2 per game). The Nuggets current hold a 3-2 lead in their series against the LA Clippers.
Luka Dončić, LeBron James and the LA Lakers — the three Ls — are the No. 3 seed in the West and are battling Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. Despite the Lakers’ star power, they’ve racked up, well, three Ls. The Timberwolves hold a 3-1 advantage heading into Game 5 on Wednesday.
Game 4 between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets featured a stellar performance from Playoff Jimmy Butler, who has been true to his nickname during the postseason. He scored 27 points for the Golden State Warriors and led that team to a win against the Houston Rockets. The Warriors lead that series 3-1; they meet again Wednesday night.
With some series already over and others still in full swing, the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs are certainly keeping things interesting. Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the NBA playoffs.
Luka Dončić and LeBron James have the Los Angeles Lakers positioned as the No. 3 seed in the West for the 2025 NBA playoffs.
What is the NBA playoffs schedule for today?
Here is the schedule for today’s games and through the weekend (all times ET):
Wednesday, April 30
- Game 5: Warriors at Rockets, 7:30 p.m. on TNT, TruTV and Max
- Game 5: Timberwolves at Lakers, 10 p.m. on TNT, TruTV and Max
Thursday, May 1
- Game 6: Knicks at Pistons, 7:30 p.m. (TNT, TruTV, Max)
- Game 6: Nuggets at Clippers, 10 p.m. (TNT, TruTV, Max)
Friday, May 2
- Game 6 (if necessary): Rockets at Warriors, TBD
- Game 6 (if necessary): Lakers at Timberwolves, TBD
Saturday, May 3
- Game 7 (if necessary): Pistons at Knicks, TBD
- Game 7 (if necessary): Clippers at Nuggets, TBD
Sunday, May 4
- Game 7 (if necessary): Lakers at Timberwolves, TBD
- Game 7 (if necessary): Warriors at Rockets, TBD
- Semifinal Game 1: Pacers at Cavaliers, TBD
What does the NBA playoff bracket look like?
The Cleveland Cavaliers edged the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the East, and the Oklahoma City Thunder ran away with the top seed in the West. Here’s what the matchups look like for the 2025 NBA Playoffs and where each series stands heading into their remaining first-round games:
Eastern Conference
- No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Heat (Cavs win series 4-0)
- No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Orlando Magic (Celtics win series 4-1)
- No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons (Knicks lead series 3-2)
- No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks (Pacers win series 4-1)
Western Conference
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 Grizzlies (Thunder win series 4-0)
- No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors (Warriors lead series 3-1)
- No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (Timberwolves lead series 3-1)
- No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers (Nuggets lead series 3-2)
How to watch the NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs will be shown across ABC, ESPN, TNT/TruTV and NBA TV. You can watch the games with a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service.
Three of the five major services offer all four channels. Hulu with Live TV lacks NBA TV, which will show only a handful of playoff games. Fubo lacks TNT, which shows a big portion of the NBA playoffs, making Fubo a poor choice for hoops fans. You can also watch the TNT/TruTV broadcasts of playoff games with Max.
YouTube TV costs $83 per month and includes all four channels needed to watch every game of the NBA playoffs. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Read our YouTube TV review.
DirecTV Stream’s $90-per-month Choice plan includes ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. You can use its channel lookup tool to see if ABC is available where you live. If you are willing to skip the handful of games on NBA TV, you can get the other three channels with DirecTV Stream’s basic $80-per-month Entertainment package.
Read our DirecTV Stream review.
Hulu with Live TV costs $83 per month and includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. It’s the only service that doesn’t offer NBA TV, even as part of an add-on package. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.
Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
You need the $17-a-month Standard plan to watch live sports on Max. (Either that or the $21-a-month Premium plan that adds 4K streaming.) Max will show the TNT/TruTV broadcasts for the NBA playoffs. With just Max, however, you’ll miss games on ESPN, ABC and NBA TV.
Read our Max review.
All the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
