NBA playoffs 2025: Knicks overwhelm Pistons with 21-0 4th-quarter run; Nuggets, Pacers win

The NBA playoffs tipped off Saturday with four games pitting the No. 3 seeds versus No. 6 seeds and No. 4 against No. 5 in each conference.

Check back here for results and takeaways from Saturday’s games, which are available below.

And check out Yahoo Sports’ predictions for each first-round series, in addition to Kevin O’Connor’s ranking of the top 40 players in the NBA postseason.

For a moment Saturday night, the upstart Detroit Pistons looked poised for an upset at Madison Square Garden.

But in the end, experience prevailed. The New York Knicks reeled off a 21-0 fourth-quarter run to turn a 98-90 deficit into a 111-98 advantage. They went on to a 123-112 win over the Pistons for a 1-0 series lead.

Sparked by hot 3-point shooting and a 22-point first-half from Tobias Harris, Detroit was in control through three quarters of its first playoff game since 2019.

But the Pistons started the fourth quarter with a five-second violation on the opening inbounds play. Their second possession of the quarter ended with a 24-second violation after they failed to launch a shot.

Then a Knicks team featuring playoff veterans Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Cameron Payne pounced. Payne started the 21-0 run with an and-1 bucket and made free throw with 9:06 remaining. With 4:49 left on the clock, a Josh Hart bucket capped the Knicks run, and the shell-shocked Pistons were done, facing a 13-point deficit

Malik Beasley stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer on the other end, but it was too little, too late. A nine-point Pistons lead to start the fourth quarter was flipped to a 10-point Knicks advantage, and New York salted away the remaining 4:35 of regulation.

Jalen Brunson returns after injury scare

Brunson appeared to tweak an ankle injury that sidelined him late in the regular season and briefly left the court in the fourth quarter. But he returned to help lead the 21-0 run and finished with a game-high 34 points alongside eight assists.

Towns tallied 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks while hitting 10-of-14 field goals in a commanding performance on both sides of the floor. OG Anunoby added 23 points, seven rebounds and five steals, while Payne added 14 points off the bench.

How will inexperienced Pistons respond?

The Pistons made the playoffs with the No. 6 seed a season after finishing 2023-24 with the worst record in the NBA. They did so anchored by first-time All-Star Cade Cunningham and fellow recent lottery picks Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, none of whom is older than 23 years old or has previously played in a playoff game.

Detroit leaned heavily on veterans Harris (25 points) and Beasley (20 points off the bench) Saturday, while Cunningham struggled from the field (8-of-21) en route to 21 points. Can Detroit’s rising young stars find their footing for Game 2 on Monday on the biggest stage in basketball?

— Jason Owens

Game 1 between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers lived up to the hype.

The Clippers took early control with a 15-point first-half lead. But the Nuggets rallied in a thrilling second half before securing a 112-110 win in overtime, fueled by several big plays from Russell Westbrook.

All kinds of Russ

Denver got the full Westbrook experience in Game 1.

A Westbrook put-back gave Denver its first lead of the second half at 93-92 with 3:37 remaining. Another Westbrook layup retook the lead for Denver at 95-94. Then, with the Nuggets trailing 96-95 in the final 30 seconds, Westbrook hit a corner 3 on a pass from Jokić to give the Nuggets a two-point lead.

But then things took a turn.

James Harden answered with a layup in traffic to tie the game with 18.7 seconds remaining, and the Nuggets’ final possession ended with the ball in Westbrook’s hands and unable to get a shot off as time expired in regulation.

Still, Westbrook wasn’t fazed.

A Christian Braun 3 extended the Denver lead to 108-104 with 59.1 seconds remaining in overtime. Then Westbrook, who played with Denver’s starters down the stretch in regulation and for the entirety of overtime, came up with the final big play, forcing a turnover out of bounds off Harden on a failed Clippers inbounds play.

Westbrook is a wild card, and his role did fluctuate near the end of the regular season. The Nuggets can’t be too sure what they’ll get from him, but he continues to make things happen — good and bad. Denver will be hoping it’s mostly good from here on out.

Nuggets lean on championship experience

The start of Saturday’s game played out as a highlight reel of everything predicted to go wrong for the Nuggets in this series. Harden had his way with a porous Nuggets defense en route to 15 first-quarter points. Ivica Zubac lived up to his status as the anti-Joker with a strong start on both sides of the court in his matchup with Nikola Jokić. And Jokić got little help from a supporting cast absent a fellow All-Star.

The Clippers opened a 51-36 second-quarter lead, stunning a Denver home crowd that two seasons ago cheered on Jokić and the Nuggets to the franchise’s first NBA championship.

But Denver didn’t flinch.

The Nuggets closed the half on a 13-2 run to cut the deficit to 53-49 at the break, and the game was a battle throughout the second half. Denver cut its deficit to one point on multiple occasions before a Jamal Murray 3 tied the game at 81-81.

It’s that experience and unwavering heart of a champion that can’t be counted out. The Nuggets had been there before and it showed in Game 1 as they refused to crumble in the second half.

More from Kawhi is needed

If L.A. wants to challenge the former champs, it will need the superstar version of Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard wasn’t bad in Game 1 with 22 points and six rebounds, but those aren’t franchise-player contributions. He finished with seven turnovers and scored just four points in the final 7:45 of regulation and overtime combined.

The much-maligned Harden did his part with 32 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, but he needed more help from a player who is considered one of the best all-around talents in the game.

If Leonard can’t deliver more down the stretch, this may not be a lengthy series after all.

—Jason Owens

Milwaukee and Indiana are matched up again after facing each other in last year’s first round. The Pacers won that series in six games as the Bucks dealt with injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. If Game 1’s result is any indication, the Bucks will have difficulty pushing this year’s rematch that far.

Giannis Antetokounmpo can’t do it alone

This is surely no surprise, but Milwaukee will need Lillard back in its lineup to provide Giannis Antetokounmpo with some help. (Lillard is reportedly expected to return for Game 2 or 3 in the series.) The Bucks star scored a game-high 36 points with 12 rebounds, but no one else in a Milwaukee uniform was a threat when it mattered on Saturday.

Kyle Kuzma took five shots and recorded a 0-0-0 in points, rebounds and assists in 21 minutes of action.

Pacers’ depth is again a major advantage

Just as it was last season when Indiana made a run to the Eastern Conference finals, the team’s depth is its strength. The Pacers are at their best when Tyrese Haliburton plays well, but they can also win when he shoots 3-of-13 for 10 points. Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 25 points, hitting 3-of-5 3-pointers.

Picking up where he left off in last year’s playoffs, Andrew Nembhard scored 17 points, while Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell each scored in double-digits off the bench to complement the starters’ efficient attack.

— Ian Casselberry

Daily News

NBA playoffs 2025: Knicks overwhelm Pistons with 21-0 4th-quarter run; Nuggets, Pacers win

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