The 2024-25 NBA playoffs are underway, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game in the march to the Finals.

Aside from the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder and their season-long hold on the top overall spot, the playoff race in the Western Conference was constantly in flux. That set up some high-powered matchups in this first round — highlighted by LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers taking on Anthony Edwards and the 6-seed Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Houston Rockets were one of the season’s most improved teams, finishing as the No. 2 seed. Their reward? A clash with Stephen Curry and the No. 7 Golden State Warriors. And, the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets (led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic) square off with No. 5 seed LA Clippers. The No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies round out the bracket, going against the Thunder after escaping the play-in tournament.

Across these four matchups, here’s what stood out from each game and what to watch — from players, storylines and reaction — as each series progresses.

Jump to a series:
Thunder-Grizzlies | Rockets-Warriors
Lakers-Timberwolves | Nuggets-Clippers

More coverage:
East first-round takeaways
Schedules and results | Offseason guides

Game 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110 (OT)

What we learned in Game 1:
Denver can take a punch — literally. Nikola Jokic got hit in the face by an errant Derrick Jones Jr. forearm, picked up a technical foul for arguing the noncall and somehow rallied the Nuggets back from a 15-point deficit to win this game in overtime. Russell Westbrook was incredible on the glass with clutch offensive rebounds, putbacks and even a key 3-pointer down the stretch. It was his first career go-ahead 3 inside the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime in his playoff career. Jamal Murray shook off a poor first half to finish with two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and Aaron Gordon had six of the Nuggets’ 14 points in overtime to seal the win. The Clippers will wonder what would’ve happened if James Harden wasn’t in foul trouble for most of this game. He was brilliant for LA. But the Nuggets survived with grit and may just have rediscovered their championship swagger after a tumultuous final week of the regular season.

Game 2: Clippers at Nuggets (Monday, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)

What we’re watching for Game 2:
Both teams looked gassed by the end of this slugfest and have just one day to recover before Game 2 on Monday. The Clippers probably would have won this easily if they’d been tighter with the ball. They gave up 26 points off 16 turnovers Saturday. The only Clippers who should get credit for holding on to the ball were probably associate head coach Jeff Van Gundy and trainer Jasen Powell, who teamed up to win a wrestling match with Jokic late in the fourth quarter. On the Denver side, the Nuggets will need more from Michael Porter Jr. to have a chance in this series. He scored Denver’s first points of the game and wasn’t a factor the rest of the way, finishing with just three points in 26 minutes.

— Ramona Shelburne

One thing to watch from the Lakers:
The Lakers opened the preseason against the Timberwolves. Then they played them to start the regular season. And now the two teams meet in the first round of the playoffs. Since the rescinded trade for Mark Williams, L.A.’s size has been questioned. Minnesota ranked 15th in rebounds per game this season (44.3); L.A. ranked 26th (42.4). The Lakers will need to rebound with their wings and guards and not solely rely on center Jaxson Hayes to control that responsibility. — Dave McMenamin

One thing to watch from the Timberwolves:
Pay close attention to Mike Conley’s minutes, particularly on the defensive end. The Lakers’ ball handlers — Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves — comprise one of the NBA’s best trios and are extremely aggressive at drawing contact and getting to the basket. If Conley isn’t holding up well there, reserve Nickeil Alexander-Walker — five inches taller at 6-foot-5 — figures to be in line for substantial minutes off the pine. — Chris Herring

Game 1: Grizzlies at Thunder (Sunday, April 20, 1 p.m. ET, ABC)

One thing to watch from the Thunder:
Given we’re talking about a team that came just two wins short of 70 wins and finished with the best point differential in NBA history, the best-case scenario is winning the championship with ease. The two largest margins of victory in recent vintage came from the 2016-17 Warriors, who went a record 16-1 in the playoffs, and last year’s Celtics, who finished 16-3. That kind of dominance is hardly out of the question for Oklahoma City, although the Thunder are all but certain to face stiffer postseason competition than last year’s Celtics did. — Kevin Pelton

One thing to watch from the Grizzlies:
By the time March rolled around Memphis was starting to slide, losing its first three games to start the month and eventually dropping 10 of 16 games. That led to the firing on Mar. 28 of Taylor Jenkins, the winningest coach in franchise history, and the promotion of new staffer Tuomas Iisalo to interim head coach. The move was made to optimize Ja Morant, who thrives with the ball in his hands. Memphis lost its first three games under the new regime but team appears be adjusting to Iisalo. — Michael C. Wright

Game 1: Warriors at Rockets (Sunday, April 20, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)

One thing to watch from the Rockets:
When the action slows and every possession matters, can Houston consistently generate enough half-court offense to best a battle-tested Warriors club for an entire seven-game series? It’s a conundrum Rockets coach Ime Udoka had already been pondering as his team closed the regular season, leaning into its physical identity while working to clean up issues on offense. The last time Udoka faced Golden State in the playoffs, he was the coach in Boston and watched Stephen Curry average 31.2 points against his Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. Fortunately for the Rockets, they might have the ideal Curry-stopper in rising star Amen Thompson, who locked down Curry when the teams met April 6, holding him to 1-for-10 shooting. Can Thompson handle such an important responsibility in the first postseason series of his career? — Michael C. Wright

One thing to watch from the Warriors:
The Warriors will have to figure out a way to free Curry of Houston’s physical defenders like Thompson and Dillon Brooks. But that is where Jimmy Butler III comes in. He will not only have to help Curry with the scoring load, but also carry the critical non-Curry minutes. And then the 6-foot-6 Draymond Green will have to find a way to contain 6-11 Alperen Sengun inside, especially on the glass, despite the height disadvantage. — Ohm Youngmisuk