The Boston Celtics are one step closer to earning their 19th NBA championship, after defeating the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA playoffs by 4 games to 1. Tuesday night’s 120-89 win in Game 5 was a display of confidence from the Celtics, who will play the New York Knicks in the second round. The No. 1 seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, swept their series against the Miami Heat in four games; they’ll face the Pacers in the semis. Western Conference champs the Oklahoma City Thunder also swept their first-round series and will play the winner of the Nuggets/Clippers series. The Nuggets and Clippers are tied 3-3, Game 7 of their series will determine a winner on Saturday night.
The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. Their fate was sealed after losing Wednesday night’s Game 5 103-96. With the Lakers out of contention, their next concern is the future of forward LeBron James who, at 40, has mulled retirement for a few years now. After Game 5, when asked if he plans to keep playing next season, James responded, “I don’t know the answer to that right now.” James has until June 29 to extend his contract with the Lakers or become a free agent.
The series between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets remains close, with the Rockets forcing Game 6 after defeating the Warriors 131-116 on Wednesday night. They’ll meet again on Friday.
With some series already over and others just coming to a boil, 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.
LeBron James has a big decision to make after his Lakers crashed out of the playoffs.
What is the NBA playoffs schedule for today?
Here is the schedule for today’s games and through the weekend (all times ET):
Friday, May 2
- Game 6: Rockets at Warriors, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday, May 3
- Game 7: Clippers at Nuggets, 7:30 p.m. (TNT, TruTV, Max)
Sunday, May 4
- Game 7 (if necessary): Warriors at Rockets, 8:30 p.m. (TNT, TruTV, Max)
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 win series 4-2)
- 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 3-2)
- No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (Timberwolves win series 4-1)
- No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers (Series tied 3-3)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.