The 2025 National Basketball Association (NBA) play-offs got underway last week Saturday, April 19, following completion of the Play-In Tournament the previous night, and Game 1 across all eight series last weekend provided all one could ask for — from surprising upsets to dramatic blowouts, and everything else in between.

In the Eastern Conference, Game 1 basically ran true to form, with all home teams — the top four seeds — winning by double digits, but the Western Conference again proved that it had the competitive edge, after two of the four games ended in upsets and two of the wins were by 10 points or less. Most surprising was the takedown of the Los Angeles Lakers by the Minnesota Timberwolves, 117-95, which didn’t factor into any bookmaker’s predictions.

That said, the most emphatic Game 1 win was orchestrated by the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Memphis Grizzlies, 131-80, a 51-point demolition. The Western Conference No 1 seed’s victory over the No 8 seed wasn’t just humiliating, it was historic, marking the largest margin of a Game 1 win in NBA play-off history, and the fifth-highest margin in an NBA play-off game, seven points shy of the record. The most previous lopsided loss occurred back in 2015 when the Chicago Bulls toppled the Milwaukee Bucks by 54 points.

Memphis proved no match for Oklahoma City and, in a game where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his worst statistical outing of the season, six Thunder players — including all five starters — scored at least 12 points in the blowout. For the Grizzlies, Murphy’s Law was in full effect — anything that could go wrong absolutely did. There was never a moment in the entire 48 minutes of basketball that Memphis showed any sign of competing. They struggled from the first whistle, shooting a dismal 34.4 per cent from the field and an even more hapless 17.6 per cent from three-point range.

Out of the Grizzlies’ starting five, only Ja Morant recorded more made baskets than turnovers. Morant shot 35.3 per cent from the field and one-of-six from beyond the arc, ultimately registering 17 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Midway through the third quarter, Oklahoma City’s 50-point lead exceeded Memphis’ total points (47),en route to a franchise-worst loss in play-off history.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s scoring champion with nearly 33 points per game, scored only 15, but thanked his supporting cast for stepping up when needed, knowing he has to get closer to his season’s average if they hope to win four games against Memphis and get past this first series.

Speaking of which, the second games of each first-round play-off series were played between Monday and Wednesday of this week, and while Memphis competed a little better on Tuesday, it wasn’t enough to prevent another loss to Oklahoma City, 118-99. The night before, the Detroit Pistons,who had a 30-win improvement over lastseason, snapped a 15-game postseason losing streak to even their first-round series against the New York Knicks, 1-1. The 94-100 result was the first postseason victory for the Pistons since May 26, 2008, which severely pales in comparison to the defending champion Boston Celtics, who have won an NBA-most 126 play-off games during the same period.

The Denver Nuggets also lost Game 2 of their series to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, having won Game 1, to draw the series 1-1, and the Los Angeles Lakers were successful in defending their home courts on Tuesday, also pulling that series level. The Western Conference play-off teams, apart from the Thunder, were so tightly bunched through most of 2025, that a series upset could easily be in the making. Particularly so theLakers, who should be deeply concerned going into Game 3 tonight, on the road, having scored 95 points in their Game 1 loss, and only 94 in Tuesday’s win.

Game 2 for all series wrapped on Wednesday night with all home teams winning: The Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets, with Boston and Cleveland going 2-0 in their series and the Rockets drawing level, 1-1. The Celtics were without talisman Jayson Tatum (wrist injury) but still managed a 109-100 victory over the Orlando Magic, in a series that appears to be heading for a sweep. Orlando has the worst three-point percentage this season, in a league that appears to be defaulting more and more to the arc. Paolo Banchero is giving it everything but if they can’t muster a win in their own building this evening, the broom may be out before the weekend is through.

Cleveland is holding a steady foot on the pedal, having scored 121 points in both games against the Miami Heat, but will be up against a heavy dose of the South Florida crowd in Game 3 tomorrow. Inclusive of the two play-off games, the Cavaliers are 4-1 against the Heat this season and the only loss was suffered in December 2024, in Miami. Miami should ride the wave of the crowd and register a win, but Cleveland is on a mission this season and have skilfully navigated the hurdles. To say this is a must-win for Miami would be an understatement.

It is often said that a play-off series doesn’t truly start until the road team wins. The Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Pistons and Clippers have already accomplished that mark and now they take the show home.They have wrested home court advantage from the grip of the higher seeded teams and will look to build on that advantage. That said, the home team wins around 61 per cent of games and therefore nothing is ever guaranteed.

Especially in sports.

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NBA 2024/25 Winner

Team Odds

Oklahoma City Thunder 2.60

Boston Celtics 2.90

Cleveland Cavaliers 6.40

Los Angeles Lakers 20.00

Golden State Warriors 21.00

Los Angeles Clippers 27.00

Minnesota Timberwolves 45.00

New York Knicks 45.00

Denver Nuggets 60.00

Indiana Pacers 60.00

*Only Top 10 odds shown (see website for full list)

Note: Odds are subject to change